Written by Priscilla Doran, Staff Writer, and Rob Speed, Head of Satire
Photos by Priscilla Doran and Rob Speed
DAYTON, TN – The sun sets over Bryan’s campus, casting the Triangle and tables scattered over it golden. Red and white balloons sit in folding chairs filled with water. In the cloudy weather, students file towards the library for Homecoming dinner, followed by dancing and a live orchestra in the cafeteria. For some, it will be their last Homecoming weekend.
Ryan Beaty, a senior, is one of them. “The other times I’ve been to homecoming, I’ve probably got more out of it, because this time I’m here alone,” said Beaty. Elena Sanders, Beaty’s girlfriend, had to volunteer at a different event scheduled on the same day, but his favorite homecoming was two years ago, in 2021. “That’s the night we started dating,” he said.
Tim Baldi, a Bryan graduate, shared stories of Bryan’s past Homecomings: “As a student, I didn’t care too much about Homecoming…there were a lot more Spirit Week activities.” However, he’s seen Bryan change a lot over the years, and his favorite addition is the swing dancing, which Bryan prohibited when he was a student. “I enjoy seeing my old classmates,” Baldi said. “But then I see so many current students and I want to introduce so many people to so many different people…Like, you two would have been friends a decade ago.”
Jacob Caplinger, a recent Bryan graduate and employee, said he was most looking forward to watching the events unfold from an event services perspective. “I never went to super big events like this as a student,” Caplinger said. As for what made this year different, he said that getting moved to the cafeteria due to weather was unfortunate.
At 7:40, swing music began. Jazz classics from Frank Sinatra, like “Fly Me to the Moon,” came from gold and silver instruments, and people danced on the cafeteria floor. Latin music drew the most dancers, and one pair, Daniel and Katie Koehn, were especially impressive. Senior Josh Cresswell was asked to sing “L-O-V-E,” to an exuberant crowd.
Rob Speed is a junior communications major and the head of satire at The Triangle.
Priscilla Doran is an English and Mathematics major, interested in linguistics, pure math, and cultural literature. In her free time, she likes creative photography, writing, and running.
