Hooray for Homecoming: UTEP Celebrates with a Week of Miner Pride
Last Updated on September 27, 2018 at 12:00 AM
Originally published September 27, 2018
By Christina Rodriguez
UTEP Communications
The University of Texas at El Paso will have a lot to sing about during Homecoming week, which begins Friday, Sept. 28, and concludes Saturday, Oct. 6.
This year’s Homecoming celebration will incorporate the student-selected theme – “Musicals” – paying homage to melodious sensations of the stage and screen from past and present.
Homecoming activities and events throughout the week are organized to welcome alumni and friends back to campus, engage students and celebrate Miner pride.
“Homecoming is definitely our favorite time of year,"said Maribel Villalva, UTEP assistant vice president for alumni relations. "We can’t wait for our alumni – as well as the El Paso community – to come to the UTEP campus and help us celebrate this great University.”
The week kicks off with the crowning of the 2018 UTEP Homecoming court at the annual Homecoming Pageant hosted by the Student Government Association from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at Magoffin Auditorium. Come and root for your favorite Miner as they compete in a variety of categories to capture a spot on this year’s court.
Hit the ground running at the 9th Annual Miner Dash 5K Run/3K Walk and Family Fitness Fiesta from 8 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30 at Centennial Plaza. The event offers fun for the whole family. For more information, visit minerdash.utep.edu.
Get ready to display some serious school spirit at the Homecoming Pep Rally happening in the heart of campus. UTEP students, alumni, faculty and staff are invited to come out and show what it means to be a Miner at noon Thursday, Oct. 4 at Centennial Plaza. With performances from the UTEP marching band, cheerleaders and Golddiggers dance team, fun giveaways and special guests, this year’s pep rally will be something you don’t want to miss. The first 500 attendees will receive an ice-cold beverage and frozen dessert. After the pep rally, the entertainment continues with inflatables and a fun competition between Team Orange and Team Blue. Watch UTEP faculty and staff challenge students.
The 2018 recipients of the Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget Award will be recognizedat the Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations at the Don Haskins Center. For ticket information, call 915-747-6361 or visit alumni.utep.edu/rsvp.
The Office of Alumni Relations together with the Miner Athletic Club will host the biggest tailgate in town from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at Kidd Field. For ticket information, visit alumni.utep.edu/tailgate.
The Homecoming celebration will be capped off that night with the football game between the Miners and the University of North Texas Mean Green at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in Sun Bowl Stadium.
Inner campus tailgates may start at 2 p.m. while tailgating in outer lots may begin at 8 a.m. For more information on tailgating rules and regulations, visit tailgate.utep.edu.
The “Mining Minds” pickaxe sculpture at UTEP’s University Avenue roundabout will be illuminated in blue and orange from Friday, Sept. 28, through Saturday, Oct. 6, to celebrate the 2018 Homecoming festivities.
“We will have so many great events throughout the week, culminating in the Homecoming football game at the Sun Bowl,” Villalva said. “Homecoming is also UTEP’s opportunity to thank its alumni for their support and to showcase a talented group of individuals who are being honored as the 2018 Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nuggets. This group of alumni represent the excellence that UTEP bestows. We look forward to connecting the past and the present and to including our current students in this yearly celebration.”
For more information, visit utep.edu/homecoming.