During Homecoming season 2021, students were able to show off their CSU pride, hang out with friends, and participate in several activities including, a hot wing eating contest and a dance under the stars. Student Life & Development sponsored Homecoming, and a student committee helped organize the events to ensure students enjoy this homecoming season. 

   Festivities began on Oct. 14 with Paint the Paws. The event, spread out over two days, resulted in beautiful murals painted by different campus organizations blazing a trail through Main Campus.

   On Oct. 17, students participated in the annual Paint the Town event. Students were allowed to paint a window in Uptown Columbus and show off their campus pride for everyone in the city to see.

   The official Homecoming Kickoff event took place on Oct. 18. The area around CSU’s iconic clock tower was filled with students and faculty alike enjoying food, music, games, and more. The rest of the week would see even more events like this unfolding with pride and enthusiasm, and the Kickoff event was the perfect beginning to the Homecoming season.

   CSU also had the pleasure of hosting Chris Jones–a hypnotist, comedian, and host of “Double Take” on Facebook Watch–at University Hall on Oct. 18. During his show, Jones told several jokes and anecdotes to uproarious laughter from his audience, as well as performing mind-bending tricks of hypnotism and illusion. 

   Two events were held on Oct. 19—The Battle of the Strongest and the CougarNation Bonfire. The Battle of the Strongest took place at the clock tower, where students competed on obstacle courses, tug-of-war, and a water balloon toss to determine the strongest student on campus. The high energy from this event quieted for the casual, cozy, but still fun atmosphere of the bonfire, which was held at Lot Seven with s’mores and music. 

   Two more events were held on Oct. 20. At the clocktower, CSU held a toast for all seniors, celebrating all the hard work they’ve done and the bright future they will have after they graduate. Later that night, also at the clock tower, there was a hot wing eating contest inspired by the YouTube show “Hot Ones,” where brave contestants attempted to eat wings that gradually grew hotter while answering trivia questions about CSU. 

   Oct. 21 was a busy day for Homecoming celebrations. A block party was held at the clocktower, where CSU Dining Services served lunch while all who attended were able to socialize and celebrate, as well as play games and go through obstacle courses. That night, at the Rankin Livery on RiverPark campus, the Downtown Dance Under the Stars occurred. Students arrived in their fanciest attire and partied the night away. 

   Also on the 21st, there was a dance competition, a competition to see who was the best dressed, and plenty of snacks and food to go around. Later on in the evening, an intense game of midnight dodgeball took place at the Rec Center. The game acted as a fundraiser for Couagrthon, CSU’s annual charity event benefiting the local children’s miracle network hospital.

   Another annual event, the CSU Homecoming Parade, took place on Oct. 22. Several floats and dozens of marching students strolled through downtown Columbus, following the same path that has been carved with CSU pride for years. 

   Saturday, Oct. 23 was the day of the homecoming games for CSU women’s soccer and the football club. Before the games, a tailgating event opened to all students and faculty, as well as Cougarfest, which was sponsored by the CSU Alumni Association. 

   Also on Saturday night, the National Pan-Hellenic Council held their traditional Step Show at University Hall, which was open to both students and non-students. At 1 p.m. at the Walden Soccer Complex, the women’s soccer team played Georgia Southwestern, where they won 7-0. UNCG forfeited the game that was supposed to take place at 7 p.m. at Kinnett Stadium, which earned the CSU club football team a 5-1 win-loss record. 

   Finally, on Oct. 24, there was a flag football tournament at the Intramural Fields, a relaxed but fun goodbye to the Homecoming season.

   None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of CSU’s SGA, the organizations that sponsored some of these events, and CSU staff and faculty. Their care and dedication to the CSU student body made 2021’s Homecoming season as unforgettable as it was.