Last year’s homecoming “A Farmer’s Dream” promoted a widespread enthusiasm across the Tarleton State University campus from every aspect. The Barry B. Thompson Student Center amphitheater saw a constant flow of various crowds sitting around the beating of the drum, and the bonfire roared at a massive height.

Finally, the 2014 homecoming is upon us with the theme “Deep in the Heart of Tarleton”. With this fall’s enrollment at yet another record-breaking figure, this year’s homecoming week is shaping up to be the biggest ever.

For Alyssa Lowe, Vice President of Student Affairs, the homecoming committee deciding a theme can pose a more tedious task than one may think.

After a strenuous brainstorm for possible themes the committee “hosted an open forum on the theme and got a lot of ideas from different students. The theme, “Deep in the Heart of Tarleton was brought to [the committee] by Sandra Kimble. After whittling down different themes, this is the one the homecoming committee decided upon last spring,” said Lowe.

The forum was previously available prior to deciding on “Deep in the Heart of Tarleton”. Seeing as most of the Texan family is native to Texas, this year’s thematic context is sure to evoke a sense of pride for the entire week. According to Lowe, the idea is to emphasize “everything is bigger in Texas”.

Homecoming week is in full swing, having kicked off on Sunday with a cook-off and the lighting of the smokestack. On Monday, Residential Living and Learning coordinated the second annual Launching of the Ducks, and Kappa Delta Rho fraternity took home the Silver Bugle.

Still to come this week are the Purple Out Picnic on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by a TexAnn volleyball game in Wisdom Gym. On Wednesday, check out Yell Contest at 9 p.m., followed immediately by the Snake Dance and the commencement of Beat the Drum. Stop by the dining hall on Thursday night for purple pancakes during Midnight Breakfast, and don’t miss the bonfire this Friday at the Tarleton Ag Farm.