As Homecoming Week continues on the University of Mississippi campus, the Student Activities Association (SAA) is providing free events for students every day leading up to Saturday’s Homecoming football game against Washington State.
“Homecoming is a tradition celebrated universally at most universities, but not many schools have the amount of programming that we provide,” Mr. Ole Miss Ryan Augustine, a senior allied health studies major from Madison, Miss., said. “Continuing to have student activities for Homecoming Week helps students become engaged and feel excitement before the game at the end of the week.”
Co-directors of Homecoming for SAA are Eron Hendrix, a senior public health and public policy leadership major from Tupelo, Miss., and Sam Graves, a senior exercise science major from Jackson, Miss.
“We started planning these events when we got this position back in May,” Hendrix said. “It’s (been) several months worth of planning.”
Graves and Hendrix were elected to the SAA Committee team in the spring 2025 semester.
“It’s definitely one of my favorite weeks of the entire year,” Hendrix said. “Our theme this year is ‘More than a University,’ a celebration of what makes Oxford and the university feel like home.”
Each day of this week’s events features a unique activity designed to promote school spirit and community involvement.
Many students are enthusiastic about the events on tap from SAA.
“I plan on attending a lot of the events SAA hosts this week,” Ella Green, a freshman exercise science major from Brandon, Miss., said.
Homecoming Week events began with “Hotty Toddy Kickoff” on Monday, Oct. 6, in front of the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union. Students stopped by the SAA tent to pick up a free shirt.
Later that day, students were invited to “Ready, Set, Go Rebs!” an event that featured pickleball and yard games at the Union Plaza.
On Tuesday, Oct. 7, students rode a mechanical landshark, testing their balance and school pride atop a twisting and turning shark in front of the Student Union.
“I think it’s awesome because there’s always something going on on the Union Plaza,” Lizzie Gannon, a junior public health major from Birmingham, Ala., said.
The night was capped off by a showing of the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting” at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
At Wednesday’s “Homecoming is Bloomin’” event, students crafted flower bouquets with The Wild Honey Flower Truck. That night, mahjong and mocktails were featured in the Union Ballroom.
At today’s event, “Crowns and Creamery,” students can grab ice cream from the Oxford Creamery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and meet the 2025 Homecoming Court. Tonight, laser tag will be played in the Grove from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The final event on SAA’s slate is the annual Homecoming Parade, which begins at 5 p.m. in the Circle and ends at the Oxford Square.
“I’m excited to pomp for the float and to watch the parade on Friday,” Caroline Odom, a junior sports marketing major from Brandon, Miss., said.
