It seemed like people took the name homecoming literally and decided to pack up and go home for the weekend.

Homecoming week should be a week full of festivities and joy at any college around the United States. With a hall of fame football game on Saturday, where a winning football team plays, there should be no reason any student should travel back to their hometown this weekend.

What does this say about the college atmosphere during homecoming? Walking around campus, it felt like any other week where campus was deserted and no one was excited about anything for homecoming, further proving Wayne is a “suitcase campus”.

I heard people talking about going to Lincoln this weekend for the Nebraska football game. This shows people are more willing to drive two hours from Wayne, Nebraska to Lincoln to watch an 3-3 football team at a college they are not even attending.

On the athletic side, football was the main event of the week for Wayne State College. The Wildcat football team is now 4-1 for the first time since 2012. Football is the biggest sport at most colleges on any campus. This does not mean other sports should not get a homecoming week game. The Wildcat volleyball team sits at 12-2 on the season and did not play a homecoming game.

To be honest, I do not blame the students at all. As a college, Wayne State must get the students excited for homecoming week. This is a chance for the college to show why students chose Wayne State College.

To compare colleges, University of Nebraska-Lincoln had events planned for the students such as a cornhole tournament, having students find traditions around campus, and a concert featuring Yung Gravy. This sounds inviting for students who want to go to Lincoln for college.

Wayne State College offered nothing of the sort. The schedule of events on the Wayne State College website only featured breakfasts, luncheons, and dinners for boosters and donors. In order to get students to attend events, the college cannot send an email to a college student who will put it in the trash folder.

Something Wayne State needs to improve for the next homecoming is advertising homecoming for the students. Students pay for tuition, books, and housing at the college. The least the college can do is give them a week centered around the students.

In order to do this, the college must be able to set aside money for homecoming. Even if it costs more than usual, getting a well-known artist to come to Wayne for homecoming will pay off for the college in the long run.

UNL had plenty of athletic events on Friday and Saturday, including opening night for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Nebraska volleyball played on Saturday and Sunday and the softball team for the Huskers played at home.

With all this information, it is no wonder why students at Wayne State College have a subdued response to homecoming. Wayne State College, unless you get the students excited for homecoming week, the nickname “suitcase college” is always going to stick with you.