Homecoming winners announced
Amanda Papke
Barnes Hall was a winner during Homecoming week when it took both the Maroon Cup competition and received the award for the most spirited group.
One of their residents also was awarded Freshman of the Year.
Participating in the Maroon Cup was a fun way for the residents of Barnes Hall to get to know each other better, Barnes Hall Residence Hall Director Luanne Nelson said. Winning for the second time was just an added bonus.
“It was a student-initiated process this week,” Nelson said. “We were able to tap into different people. It was a way of drawing everybody together and focusing on one goal.”
Shepherd sophomore and Barnes Hall Council President Katie Schafer said the victory was a reflection of her community.
“Our hall is really close,” Schafer said. “We really pulled together. We had about 100 people participate throughout the week.”
She said her group was motivated to beat the team from On The Fly Productions. On The Fly had won the Maroon Cup the past two years.
Homecoming Chairwoman Lynn Hutchinson said the start of the Maroon Cup week was filled with active events.
“[Each organization] had to make a banner, they participated in the spirit search, we had the campus cleanup, we had the Yell like Hell contest and the tug of war contest,” Hutchinson said.
At the end of the week there was a mannequin contest, the Chippewa Rock Rally, and the Homecoming parade. For the parade, each organization made a float and was judged, she said.
In other Homecoming events, Saginaw senior Katie Kennelly and Bay City senior Dan Gaken were named Gold Ambassadors Saturday.
Kennelly was sponsored by Sigma Kappa. She is a Campus Ambassador and is involved in the CMU Volunteer Center.
Gaken was sponsored by Program Board. He is the Siblings Weekend chairman and a member of the CMU Honors Program.
Last Friday, Mortar Board announced that Vassar sophomore Abbey Wojno was the Freshman of the Year. The award was based on her performance as a freshman. Detroit senior and Mortar Board President Marlena Taylor said if a student is in the top 10 percent they can turn in an application.
Saginaw senior and Freshman of the Year Chairwoman Danielle Tate said she received around 200 applications. The applications were reviewed by analyzing the students’ activities, community service and grade-point average. The pool of students was reduced to 10, who were then interviewed. Wojno was chosen after the Mortar Board took into account both the application and the interview.
Wojno had a 3.85 GPA last year. She is a Public Administration and Interpersonal and Public Communication major. She also is minoring in art. Wojno is involved as an Alternative Spring Break site leader, College Democrats and is a Campus Ambassador.
Wojno said she thought she had a shot at winning and she was happy when she did.
“I think I got it because I represent CMU well. I got involved with a lot of things around campus and I put my heart into CMU,” she said. “I love the community here.”
Wojno said she was up for the award with several friends.
“I went out for Freshman of the Year with four really good friends. If any one of us would have gotten it, it would have been great,” she said.
Wojno said she’s going to live up to her title for the next year.
“I’m just going to keep smiling and representing CMU,” she said.
