Homecoming 2009 Captain Applications
Homecoming is looking for dedicated captains to help organize the various events that contribute to Penn State's annual tradition. Applications must be submitted and returned to the Center for Student Engagement in 209 HUB no later than 5pm Friday, February 27th. Please see below for a description of all available positions
Click here to download the Homecoming 2009 Captain Application
Alumni Relations
| Student-Alumni Ice Cream Social Captain (1) | This captain will be responsible for planning the Student-Alumni Ice Cream Social. He or she will be working closely with the Alumni Association to formulate the layout of the event as well as the event's timeline. This captain will also be responsible for publicity for the event and increasing student attendance. | |
| Tailgate Competition Captain (1) | This captain's main focus will be organizing the Alumni Tailgate Competition. He or she will be responsible for formulating the competition's rules and scoring rubric, getting in touch with alumni contestants, creating a timeline for the day of judging, and help in the judging of the entered tailgates. He or She will also work with technology to try and get a class tailgate competition posted on the HOOD. | |
| Celebrating Past Leaders Captain (1) | This captain will be in charge working with the Alumni Association and parade directors to gather and honor an alumni leadership group that had succeeded in their field. This includes but no limited to champion sports teams, past homecoming overalls, past THON overalls etc. He or She will be in contact with the Alumni Association as well as the leadership organization to see who will be available to be on that float for parade day. They will be in charge of finding an organization and help the Alumni Association contact as many people as possible. |
Competition
| Administrative Assistant (1) | This captain will be responsible for the organization of the competition committee, which will include helping the other captains with their assignments. They will need to have a full understanding of all aspects of the committee. The AA will also serve as my right hand. They will be assisting with the Friends and Family tent as well as float judging at the parade ground. This captain will also plan social events for the committee as well as ordering committee clothing. | |
| Friends & Family Tent Captains (2) | These two captains will be in charge of the Friends and Family tent on parade day. They will design, print, and mail the F&F tent invites as well as the thank you cards. They will also be responsible for coordinating the donations delivered to the tent and setting up the food and beverage on parade day. They will also be in charge of entrance into the tent and distributing passes for the tent that will have been copied and laminated.. | |
| Judging Captains (2) | There will be two judging captains for the competitive events during Homecoming. The two captains will be in charge of making contact with potential judges to see availability for the events as well as interest. They will need to keep in contact with judges and updating them on the schedule of events they will be judging. They will need to be at the events to greet the judges and explain the process/scoring sheet to them. They will also help tally the scores during the events. They will also be in charge of getting the judging gifts and wrapping them for the judges. On parade day, the captains will need to be at the parade grounds checking the floats and tallying the Rules and Regs spirit points. | |
| Points Captain (1) | The points captain will be responsible for recording all of the spirit points for Homecoming events. They will need to attend all Homecoming events that require spirit point scoring and will be in contact with the Homecoming directors to avoid confusion. The point captain will be in charge of sign-ins at events as well as organizing other captains for different sign-ins for the events. The captain will also be responsible for updating the spirit point standings on the website each day. |
Corporate Relations
| Administrative Assistant (1) | This captain will be in charge of maintaining organization of spreadsheets and tracking all pending donations. They will have to stay close to the Executive Committee to ensure all donation requests are being taken care of. | |
| Past Sponsor Captains (2) | These captains will be responsible for all correspondence with sponsors that were utilized last year. Their goal will be to secure them as returning sponsors, and also to persuade the businesses to contribute more than last year. | |
| New Sponsor Captains (2) | These captains will be responsible for seeking out and securing donations from businesses that have not been involved in homecoming before. Their goal will be to recruit new businesses (especially businesses around branch campuses) who will want to sponsor Homecoming 2009. |
Finance
| Finance Liaison (1) | This captain will act as the liaison to all of the other Homecoming Directors. They will work with other directors to help them with any financial matters. This includes their various budgets, purchase orders and check reimbursements, answering financial questions or any other administrative tasks that may arrive. This liaison will also work closely with the Director's assistant in making excel/fiscal worksheets. | |
| Fundraising Captain (1) | This captain will work closely with the Director to develop various fundraising events that will support Homecoming. This includes developing new and innovative events as well as working with corporations to develop fundraising strategies for homecoming, contacting them and setting up events. | |
| Merchandise Liason (1) | This captain will work closely with the merchandise director and his/her captains. This captain will be in charge of depositing and accounting for revenue generated from daily and maintaining order/communication between Finance and Merchandise committees. This captain will be in charge of coordinating/scheduling a Finance captain to be available to open and close sales everyday during selling periods. | |
| Director's Assistant (1) | During the course of the Homecoming season many fiscal reports will need to be made, this captain will assist and complete these reports. The fiscal reports include merchandise profit analysis, account transfer comparisons and budget worksheets, all done in Excel. This captain will also help will smaller tasks such as copies, faxes and returning vendor's phone calls. |
King & Queen
| Administrative Assistant (1) | This captain will have excellent communication and organizational skills. They will assist the Director in taking and posting meeting minutes and keeping ANGEL up to date, as well as ordering committee gear and planning inter-committee events. The captain will order appropriate sashes for the Court, King, Queen and marshals, and the crowns, flowers and court sweatshirts (student and faculty). It is important for this captain to assist other captains and the Director at all times. | |
| Special Events Captain | This captain will coordinate all events unique to the King and Queen Committee. They will plan the Homecoming Court Reception, Homecoming Court Workshop and be an integral part during the King and Queen interviews. The captain will act as a liaison between the King and Queen and Special Events Committees, ensuring the Court's appearance at the Pep Rally/Coronation and other events throughout Homecoming week. | |
| Publicity Captain | This captain will act as a liaison between the Public Relations and King and Queen Committees. They will fill out all publicity requests for events such as nominations, applications and voting, and submit them on ANGEL. This captain will design invitations for the Homecoming Court Reception, organize the Court Biography Video with the Technology Committee and find appropriate venues for the video to be played. The captain will find venues outside Homecoming events at which the Court can appear and coordinate the creation of the "life-size cutouts". | |
| Court Liaisons (2) | These captains will act as liaisons between the student and faculty Courts' and the Director. They will keep in contact with past Homecoming King and Queen Court members and marshals, who will be invited to the Court Reception and Coronation. At the Reception, captains will coordinate the slideshow to be shown. Duties include designing the "Court Survival Guide" and the "Parent Survival Guide", vital tools so each are informed about the happenings during Homecoming week. Captains will be responsible for photography of the Court and the submission of their personal "bios" to the Homecoming website. Also, they will keep in close contact with the Court, ensuring attendance at all events and answering questions as needed from both the Court and parents. | |
| Voting Captain (1) | This captain will be vital in the logistics of the Court selection process. Duties include appropriately revising the Court application and scoring rubric, nomination compilation, scoring of applications and notification of Court selection. The captain will assist in the nomination and selection of a Faculty Court. They will be the liaison between interviewing judges and the Director. Most importantly, this captain will find effective venues for King and Queen voting by working with the Technology Committee. |
Merchandise
| Administrative Assistant (1) | This person must be highly motivated, organized and flexible. They will serve as right hand to the Director, as well as the liaison to all other committees, mainly Finance, Corporate Relations and Public Relations. They will be responsible for taking the meeting minutes and sending committee reminders and updates. This position also entails the responsibility for ordering all committee clothing and planning team building activities. | |
| Developmental (1) | This captain must be very creative, organized, flexible, pay attention to detail and like trying new things. Since this is the first year for Merchandise to be on its own, we are building from scratch and have a lot to do. You will be in charge of any new development such as, possible pre-orders and online orders, as well of anything else they can think of. They will also be a liaison to Technology along with this and work with inventory to fill orders. | |
| Inventory (2) | These captains must be good with excel, creating spreadsheets and extremely organized. Keeping track of inventory is crucial so that we may properly keep track of what we are selling currently and make additional orders in an efficient and timely manner. This position will also be helping the future of Merchandise so that we may track trends. The position will also be responsible for filling online and pre-order sales, coordinating with the Administrative Assistant regarding finances, making sure storage is kept orderly, coordinating with Developmental as well to ensure we have enough inventories to support campus and online sales. | |
| Organization Sales (2) | - This year we are offering the option of organizations to use the logo on their personal Homecoming T-Shirts. You will work with the organization to design and order what they need for clothing. This position will work very closely with University Relations and the AVP's. Creativity and computer design skills are essential. | |
| Sales (1) | This captain will be in charge of staffing merchandise sales. They will have a PR Co-Captain and together you will lead a committee. They will need to coordinate with Inventory to make sure the sale has what it needs and keep track of money and inventory properly. A huge responsibility will be with the money that comes in from sales, making sure all is accounted for and will work closely with finance to make sure the numbers match up. This person must have strong leadership skills, is trustworthy, flexible and highly motivated. Will also be responsible for set up and tear down of all events. |
OPPerations
| Pomp and Technology Captain (1) | This captain will help with the logistics of pomp distribution. They will attend meetings with FPA, schedule distribution times, and run distribution. This captain will also stay in contact with the technology committee and help develop timelines for any assistance OPP will provide. Specifically this captain will be in charge of making sure the needs for the web cast on parade day are met. | |
| Security Liaison (1) | This captain will be in contact with the security committee. You will be in charge of writing up a timeline for any assistance relevant to OPP. You will also have to meet with security members prior to events that they need our assistance to coordinate what exactly OPP has to do, and how we have to do it. | |
| Parade Liaison (1) | This captain will be in contact with the parade committee. You will be in charge of writing up a timeline for any assistance relevant to OPP. You will also have to meet with parade members prior to events that they need our assistance to coordinate what exactly OPP has to do, and how we have to do it. | |
| Competition Liaison (1) | This captain will stay in contact with the competition committee and help develop timelines for any assistance OPP will provide. Specifically, this captain is in charge of the Friends & Family Tent on parade day and other competition events during the week. | |
| Special Events Liaison (1) | This captain will be in contact with the special events committee. You will be in charge of writing up a timeline for any assistance relevant to OPP. You will also have to meet with special events members prior to events that they need our assistance to coordinate what exactly OPP has to do, and how we have to do it. | |
| Logistics Captains (2) | These captains will be the utility/go-to people throughout the planning stages and parade day. These captains will assist other captains with their events. One captain will be in charge of the gators for Homecoming week. This captain will need to have a timeline for who has a gator at any specific time during Homecoming week. The other captain is in charge of the communication radios. This captain will be responsible for the signing out/in of radios, along with the batteries that go with them. | |
| Administrative Assistant (1) | This captain will assist Overall with matters pertaining to the committee. Examples include sending emails, typing memos, social events, and buying t-shirts. |
Parade
| Administrator/Business Liaison (1) | Responsible for helping the Overall with matters pertaining to the Committee as well as dealing with corporate relations to get the things we need for the parade. They will be responsible for building the corporate sponsors float on parade day. | |
| Alumni & Public Orgs Liaison (1) | This person will be responsible for organizing State College's participation in the parade. This includes high school bands. This person will also as be responsible for organization of the alumni participation in the parade. This will include creating a letter to send out to Alumni Associations informing them of parade day registration & answering any questions or concerns these groups may have. This person will also be in charge of organization of the walker grounds on parade day. | |
| Emcees (2) | This person will be responsible for securing the emcees for the parade. They will also create the script for parade day and make sure that changes in order are relayed to the emcee as the parade is in progress. | |
| OPPerations (2) | Responsible for rules and regulations that apply to the parade. They will inform the captains of float regulations and lead the float inspections and float drop-offs. Also, responsible for creating a list of captain assignments for float inspection. They are in charge of creating and conducting the parade workshop. | |
| Convertibles and VIP/LEGENDS Liaison (1) | Work on getting the convertibles and drivers for the parade. They will also help me create the invitations to send the VIPs and help me keep track of the RSVPs. Will make sure the convertibles are in order and in line on parade day. | |
| Student Organizations (1) | Responsible for student organizations participating in homecoming parade. This captain will work to create spreadsheets of organizations and their needs (flatbed, walking, etc.) They will help create the check-in order for parade day. This person will also be in charge of organization of the walker grounds on parade day. Host a Informational meeting for walking orgs. |
Public Relations
Public Relations Captains play an integral role in Homecoming. Without these Captains, events would not be publicized. Captains work with other committees to ensure that all committees are getting the publicity that they need. Work that is done as a Captain will build practical business skills and give experience in publicity-related fields such as public relations, advertising, and marketing.
| Administrative Assistant (1) | The administrative assistant is responsible for recording meeting minutes, purchasing committee merchandise, taking handbills and flyers to the printer (Kinko's), planning social and teambuilding activities, and assisting the Director with other tasks if need be. Applicants should have organizational and communication skills. | |
| Advertising Captains (2) | The advertising captains are responsible for designing and creating advertisements that will appear in The Daily Collegian, the Penn Stater, Preface, and The Center Daily Times. Also, they will be designing all of the flyers for Homecoming special events, meetings, and merchandise sales. Applicants should have experience with design programs such as Dreamweaver, InDesign, or Photo Shop and should exhibit knowledge of advertising design. Preferred majors include Graphic Design or Advertising. | |
| Media Relations Captains (4) | The media relations captains responsibilities include writing press releases, PSAs, and feature articles to be sent to local newspapers and TV/radio stations. Two media relations captains will be responsible for contacting and assisting print media networks (ex: The Center Daily Times) throughout Homecoming. Two media relations captains will be responsible for contacting and assisting broadcast (TV/radio) media networks throughout Homecoming. The media relations captains will also be responsible for creating the 2009 Homecoming Press Kit. Applicants should have strong writing skills and should exhibit strong communication skills. Preferred majors include Journalism and Public Relations. | |
| Press Editor (1) | The press editor is responsible for formatting and editing all press releases, feature articles, and the Press Kit. Applicants should have strong writing skills and should be familiar with AP style format. Preferred majors include Journalism and Public Relations. | |
| Blood Drive Captain (1) | The blood drive captain is responsible for coordinating the Homecoming blood drive. This captain will work closely with the Red Cross and Corporate Relations to plan and execute blood drive. Preferred majors are Public Relations, Marketing, Finance, and RPTM. | |
| Alternative Media Captains (2) | The alternative media captains responsibilities include regulating and updating the Homecoming Blog, creating facebook events for Homecoming special events, and finding new sources of alternative media to promote Penn State Homecoming. Applicants should have strong computer and communications skills. Preferred majors include Public Relations and Communications. | |
| Special Events Captains (2) | The special events captains are responsible for organizing and coordinating the Homecoming 5K. These captains will be in charge of booking a race route for the 5K, finding a DJ, finding food donors, and working with the university police. Preferred majors are Marketing and Public Relations. Applicants should be organized and have event planning skills or experience. | |
| Street Team Captain (1) | The street team captain is responsible for managing the 2009 Homecoming Street Team. The Street Team works on campus and downtown to promote Homecoming events and merchandise sales. This captain will have a Merchandise co-captain who will help run the street team by planning the merchandise sales. Preferred majors include Public Relations and Marketing. |
Security
Security Captains provide the fundamental framework for all Homecoming events, ensuring the safety both observers and participants alike. They are an integral part of the success of Homecoming. Through hard work and a lot of fun, Homecoming 2009 will be the best yet!
| Administrative Assistant (1) | This captain will assist the overall from an organizational standpoint, ranging from paperwork help, minutes, arranging social events for the committee, as well as ordering merchandise. | |
| OPPeration Liaisons (1) | This captain will work with his or her counterpart from the OPP committee. He or She will develop a cohesive relationship with the committee and ensure that the needs of both parties are being met. They will also work on the planning required for accurate timing and location of materials needed during Homecoming week. | |
| Special Events Liaison (1) | This captain will work with the Special Events committee in an effort to clarify their security needs at events and therefore plan accordingly. They will also work with the PHC and IFC AVP's to plan any events they hold. | |
| Logistics Captains (2) | These captains will work with the Competition Overall in the understanding of the Rulebook. Logisitcs will also be responsible for the organization of security leaders on the parade route and at other special events, as well as working with the Parade committee to make sure that the needs of both parties are met. |
*All captains will be with the Overall throughout parade day and will be making sure that everything is being accomplished at its appropriate time. Note that all captains will also be working various events throughout Homecoming week.
Special Events
| Administrative Assistant(1) | The Administrative Assistant will aid the Special Events Director with errands, emails, meeting minutes, and various other tasks as needed. Other duties include ordering committee apparel and being a resource to the other captains if and when needed. The administrative assistant will also ensure a smooth event registration and check-in for all events. | |
| Pep Rally (2) | The Pep Rally captains will be responsible for planning and facilitating a spirited, efficient, and exciting Pep Rally following the Homecoming Parade. These two captains will: invite and confirm athletic teams, secure MC's, coordinate sound and music, create the timeline for the event, and implement their own creativity to create a unique celebration. Pep Rally captains will also collaborate with Technology captains for videos and various other media for the event. | |
| Airbands (2) | These two captains will be responsible not only for running Airbands smoothly, but for increasing the enthusiasm for this event. Airbands captains will coordinate the competitors' music selection as well as a dress rehearsal. In addition, these captains will devise an incentive system for organizations whose dress rehearsals are outstanding. Airbands captains will also: select and secure MC's, oversee event registration, organize organization music onto one CD, work with Eisenhower Auditorium, and create the timeline and organizational order for this event. | |
| The Best of Penn State - New Wednesday Event (2) | The Best of Penn State Captains should be prepared with creative and new ideas for a fair on the HUB lawn consisting of booths run by overall competitors in the Homecoming celebration. These two captains will be responsible for planning this new event: gathering a list of potential booths, coordinating each organization's booth choice, making a timeline, helping with and overseeing the set-up, the event itself, and the take-down. | |
| Dance Competition and Themed Party (2) | The Dance Competition and Themed Party Captains should be prepared with creative and new ideas for a dance competition between the various dance teams on campus, where the winner will perform at the Pep Rally. These two captains will be responsible for coordinating this first annual event: acquiring the performers, creating a timeline and performance order, working with the venue, as well as working with the Public Relations committee to publicize the evening. |
Technology
| Administrative Assistant (1) | The main role of the administrative assistant will be to keep meeting minutes, organize clothing orders and social events, and handle other special projects that arise during the year. They will also act as the primary point of contact between technology and other homecoming committees. | |
| Photography Captains (2) | Photography captains will take pictures at all Homecoming events as well as administrate a virtual web album on the Homecoming website. No website or photography experience is required for this position. | |
| Videography Captains (2) | Videography captains will be in charge of recording select homecoming events and creating videos for use throughout the Homecoming season. This includes the Halftime video for the Homecoming football game, videos to be used on the website, and videos for other events. Experience with Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas, iMovie, Adobe Premiere or other video editing software is recommended but not required. | |
| Graphics Design (2) | Graphics design captains will be responsible for designing graphical updates for the website, elements for use in videos, and other projects related to the technology committee. Also, they will be responsible for working directly with other committees, specifically public relations and merchandise, on projects such as the redesign of the electronic press kit. Prior graphics design experience is highly recommended. | |
| Website Developers (4) | These captains will be responsible for the development and maintenance of the Homecoming website as well as the continued development of the Homecoming Online Organization Database (HOOD). The HOOD is a web based database used to collect and organize all Homecoming information between the Homecoming Overall Committee and all competing organizations. Experience with HTML, PHP, mySQL, Javascript, and open source content management systems is recommended but not required. |
University Relations
| Commonwealth Campus and Intracommitee Liaison (1) | This captain is responsible for creating and maintaining a relationship between Homecoming and the commonwealth campuses throughout the year. Ideally, this captain will work internally with CCSG and will be a liaison to each campus in regards to Homecoming - specifically representing Homecoming at CCSG council meetings. This captain may also be responsible for planning events in coordination with CCSG as Homecoming participants. This captain will also be in charge of planning events for all Intracommittee Homecoming activities. | |
| East Halls Celebration Co-Captains (2) | These captains will be responsible for the planning and managing of the East Halls Celebration during Homecoming week. They will reserve space and work closely with ResLife to create a positive atmosphere to get students involved and excited for Homecoming. These captains will also be in charge of recruiting and coordinating organizations and performances to be showcased throughout the celebration. | |
| Past to Present Celebration Co-Captains (2) | These captains will be responsible for the planning and managing of the second-annual Past to Present Celebration in the HUB during Homecoming week. They will be responsible for the reservation of space in the HUB as well as the recruiting and coordinating organizations and performances during the celebration. These captains will be in charge of creating a positive atmosphere to get students involved and excited for Homecoming. | |
| Athletics Liaison Captain (1) | This captain will assist their Director as a liaison between Athletics, SAAB (the Student Athletic Advisory Board) and Homecoming related events. This coordination will include recruiting and planning appearances with groups involved, and possible appearances by athletic individuals. This captain will sit in on SAAB meetings and help to organize the half time presentations during both the Blue and White Game and the Homecoming Game. | |
| New Organization Captain (1) | This captain is responsible for the recruitment and management of any new organizations interested in Homecoming. They will assist in planning and facilitating the New Organization Information Session (on March 25th) and will be the main liaison between these organizations and Homecoming. They will be in charge of promotional t-shirts and requesting publicity for the New Org. Info. Session. This captain will also assist all new organizations through registration and the entire Homecoming process, continually checking up on their progress. This captain will also be responsible for following up with past organizations and encouraging their participation in Homecoming 2009. |