Candidates seek Homecoming vote

by Eva Dameron

Daily Lobo

Student Ethan Maese was dressed in a banana costume on Wednesday to support his friend's campaign for Homecoming King.

"I'm bananas for Alex Hughes," he said. "I offered to do it because I've known Alex for a long time now and he's a stand-up guy."

Homecoming candidates and their campaign teams set up booths outside the SUB urging students to vote for them.

Ashleigh More, assistant director of the Lobo Spirit Committee, said the main duty of the King and Queen is to represent UNM in a positive way.

"They attend a lot of social alumni functions to represent the majority of the students," More said. "Homecoming is a lot more than just the King and Queen elections because it's a way to get students involved and appreciate the campus more."

Election manager Jessica Chynoweth said voters fill out a Scantron ballot and drop it in a box. There are 17 candidates; eight for Queen and nine for King.

Othiamba Umi is running for Homecoming King because he wants to represent the diversity of UNM, he said.

"I've always been about positive social change," Umi said. "I'm very involved in campus through the Black Student Union, PACE - Planning and Awareness for College Education. We go to high schools and promote higher education."

But, student Joshua Zwemer said he didn't see the point in voting.

"Homecoming was over since high school," Zwemer said. "I don't feel the need to vote for somebody I don't know and an activity I don't engage in."

He said the purpose of the event is to increase social status on campus.

Chynoweth disagreed.

"It's based on more important things," she said. "They actually do community service for the school. They represent the school in an upstanding way."

Brionne Belgrave, who voted, said voting for Homecoming court at UNM is not as important as it was in high school.

"Nobody really pays attention," Belgrave said. "Nobody cares about the Queen - just the football game."

Although Belgrave and her friend Brittney Tatum voted for Homecoming Queen and King, they said they did not vote in the mayoral election the day before.

Tatum said voting for Homecoming is more convenient because they did not have to register.

"We didn't have to fill out a whole bunch of papers and wait to get the card back," she said.

Maralyn Beck, who is running for Homecoming Queen, said she has an advantage over other candidates because she is involved in several organizations on campus, including band, choir, Lobo Howl and the Lobo Spirit Committee. She said raising school spirit is important.

"If I could change the world, I would make it have more Lobo spirit," Beck said. "As sad as that is, it's very true."

Student Jason Koury said the only reason he voted was because his friend was running for King.

Matt Maez, director of the Lobo Spirit Committee, said the top three candidates will be announced Friday at a pep rally at the Duck Pond at noon.

"We don't announce the winner until halftime at the football game," he said. "It's a suspenseful moment for everybody." The football game will be at University Stadium on Saturday.

Umi said despite the outcome, he has already benefited from running for Homecoming King.

"When Homecoming's all said and done and over, I made a lot of friends on campus," Umi said. "That's very important."