Pride rides in pony parade

While SMU pride and spirit is normally displayed in the band room, on a court or in a stadium, this week is different. This week anyone can obviously see that another “hub of Mustang spirit” is found in the depths of the Dedman Center, waiting to erupt Saturday.

Students have busied themselves building 18-by-10-foot floats for their organizations’ benefit in the homecoming parade.

“We’re trying to exemplify Panhellenic unity since we are an umbrella for eight organizations,” Laura Jones said. “Our float is an example of our unity.”

Being in the basement of Dedman signifies a lot more than just building a float or expressing creativity to sophomore Chi Omega Brett Warner.

“I feel that this has brought my house closer together,” Warner said. “It’s been such a bonding experience.”

Building the float and personal relationships between house members and Homecoming partners seems to be a common trend for most involved with the float.

Junior Delta Gamma Lauren Roberson’s favorite part of float construction is the bonding.

Katie Mosby, a senior Kappa Kappa Gamma, saw another benefit.

“It’s nice that people that normally would not hang out can come together like this,” she said.

On the other hand, the in-house relationships are not the only things being built as the float grows taller. The spirit and relationships between other organizations seems to be on the rise.

“I think that the greeks become more united as they lend tools or a helping hand, but it also helps the non-greeks because it’ll give them an opportunity to be involved with other things,” said Minh Ly, a sophomore Asian Council member.

Vallerie Lu from the Asian Council also believes that building a float is a great opportunity for Asian Americans to help the SMU community as well as get together and socialize.

“That’s what Homecoming is about,” she said

The spirit and tradition carried by everyone in the basement of the Dedman Center continues to grow stronger with every beat of the bass pouring out of every radio that keeps float constructors company.

In fact, there has been no sabotage or arguments, just everyone working together for two things: spirit and spirit points.

The few problems reported are mostly damages from a rainstorm that flooded part of the Dedman basement last weekend.

“The storm ruined our scoreboard, so now we have to find how to build another one in just two days,” said Flea Carr, a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta and Phi Delta Theta team.

The storm’s effects, however, have not dampened participants’ spirits.

“This parade is just what SMU needs, it pumps us up,” Carr said.

The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. It will start on Daniel and turn left onto Hillcrest. From there, it will follow Hillcrest until the parade turns left into the Highland Park United Methodist Church’s parking lot. It will then proceed down Bishop Boulevard and end at the judge’s stand in front of Perkins Natatorium.

The floats will be judged on things like creativity, sticking to the theme of “All-American SMU” and the judges’ personal opinion. In case of rain, the floats will also be judged before the parade.

Every float is unique in its own way, but floats found in the basement of Dedman range from the American flag to Top Gun airplanes and space shuttles, the evolution of rock and roll to 1920s jazz, riding bulls to large colored dragons.

Although the parade is a huge event, it is really just one aspect of homecoming week and the persistence of SMU tradition. But even if it is just one part of an umbrella of great events, junior corporate communications and public affairs major Michael L. Dorff says that “you won’t see another event like this all year long that is doing something constructive while building relationships and a bond between the groups themselves.”

Pride rides in pony parade