The North Carolina historically-Black university announces the cancellation of the “greatest Homecoming on Earth,” affectionately known as GHOE. The celebration is an annual tradition attended by students, alumni, faculty staff and even prospective students. Read the full statement:
In response to health and safety concerns relating to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will forgo all in-person homecoming activities for the 2020-21 academic year with the exception of the football game this fall.
“After a great deal of discussion, we believe this difficult decision is the appropriate route to mitigate and reduce the potential spread of COVID-19,” said Teresa Davis, associate vice chancellor for Alumni Relations. “Although we are deeply disappointed we will not be able to honor this highly-anticipated tradition, we believe if we make the necessary sacrifices now, we hope to be able to see everyone next year, with even more anticipation, excitement and enthusiasm.”
Currently, the football game is scheduled to take place on Oct. 31 with reduced fan capacity, pending state restrictions. The departments of Athletics and Campus Enterprises will share additional details for the game, complete football season and related activities such as tailgating, operational plans and fan engagement at a later date.
Homecoming week was to run Oct. 25 – Nov. 1. The weeklong celebration traditionally draws total attendance of more than 100,000 to its long schedule of events, and has an economic impact estimated by local municipal officials of more than $10 million on the Greensboro economy, with visitors coming in from across the state and around the country.
While the university is carefully considering other opportunities for virtual celebrations, none has been solidified at this moment. Additional information about the university’s response to COVID-19 and return to campus protocols is available at www.ncat.edu/coronavirus.
Media Contact Information: tddixon1@ncat.edu. Visit the NCA&TSU newsroom.
