Homecoming is a fabled time of the school year when the parties are larger and the excitement goes from the crack of dawn til long after the sun sets.

Homecoming is something far more than just a time to party, and it is not just for the currently attending students.

Homecoming is a time for alumni to “come home,” reminisce about their days at Butler University and see what the university has become.

Dan Kaufman, a 1966 Butler graduate, said he loves coming back to Butler to see that the university is doing so well.

“I hope the university continues to demonstrate The Butler Way, so to speak, and the way that it’s intended to be,” Kaufman said.

“So many people have demonstrated its possibilities, and for it to continue to grow, not necessarily in size, but in the strength that it has academically.”

Junior Esther Flaharty said she believes some students understand what Homecoming means to alumni.

“For the students, it’s a lot about raging, but it’s also good to see the alumni come back,” Flaharty said.  “But for a lot of people it’s just about partying.
For alumni it is about coming back and reminiscing and seeing what the university has become.”

The university also uses Homecoming to showcase the school’s greatest achievements, reminding the alumni that Butler is a worthy investment.

Roger Phelps, another 1966 Butler graduate, said the only contact he has with the university any more is solicitation.

“I used to sit on those phone banks myself, so it’s hard for me to condemn it,” Phelps said.  “But I know it’s a valuable part of the financial situation.”

Phelps and Kaufman both said that even when they were students at Butler, Homecoming was the biggest party of the year.

It is good to know that while many things about Butler have changed over the years, some things have remained the same.