As a way to strengthen relationships in the University and create a sense of community, the Fall 2016 Homecoming Court will also consist of faculty and staff.

The nomination process for the fall semester court closed last Friday, and was hosted on Org Sync, an online community management system.

On the nomination form, it was recommended that each nominee “demonstrates the BGSU core values through their daily activities and interactions with others.”

Anyone nominated can choose to accept or decline their nomination, and during the upcoming fall semester, only students will have the opportunity to vote in the final stages of nominations.

“It (the change of court) is really to strengthen our faculty and staff relationships and increase collaboration across the board,” said Laura Saavedra, coordinator of major events for Campus Activities. “While the focus is on increasing student engagement, it is also about making connections and working collaboratively with our faculty, staff and alumni.”

The upcoming staff/faculty king and queen will be crowned in the fall at the Homecoming Steering Committee Kickoff event, HHSC, on Tuesday, Sept. 27. As the week progresses, they will be present at various homecoming events, as well as on the football fields when the undergraduate king and queens are announced.

“We have a disconnect, and basically our student steering committee is trying to recreate that connection,” said Kaila Gardner, one of the general directors. “It’s not about doing something completely new, but it’s about trying to rejuvenate it (the connection) and create relationships with different people on campus.”

The committee’s main goal of the faculty/staff election process is to gain representatives from different organizations on campus. Organizations involved include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the Student Activities Committee (SAC), The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), The Black Student Council (BSU), Latino Student Union (LSU), VISION and the University Activities Organization (UAO).

“Our approach this year was making sure we have different representatives from different organizations,” Saavedra said. “We are really trying to reclaim the BG spirit.”

Throughout the election process, Gardner puts forth effort to raise awareness and excitement among everyone at the university. “We are like the brain, we are trying to come up with different ideas and activities through homecoming like social media and fun tweets. We want people to see what is going on through social media,” she said. “Our committee is here to connect all the dots.”

Although the Steering Committee is spicing up the election process, it is also important to them to value past traditions.

Saavedra concludes, “We’re respecting the longstanding traditions that BGSU has established, while also creating new ones.”