Once a Raven, always a Raven. That’s the spirit of Carleton’s fourth annual Throwback celebration.
From Sept. 12 to 17, the homecoming event featured on-campus speakers, panel discussions, live entertainment, sports, and opportunities for alumni and students to reflect on their personal experiences at Carleton.
Both alumni and current students were encouraged to come out, network and have fun at a series of events that attracted over 10,000 people last year, according to the Throwback website.
Each individual activity is run by a different faculty or department, said Steven Reid, Carleton’s media relations officer.
According to Louise Hayes, the current president of the Carleton University Alumni Association (CUAA), there are over 20 events being held this year that provide opportunities for Ravens, both past and present, to network, build the community, and have fun.
Events during the week included the Throwback BBQ on Sept. 14, a panel discussion featuring employees of Instagram, Amazon and General Motors, and the unveiling of new members to the Ravens Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 15.
Hayes said the Great Grads and Good Deeds Reception is a new event this year, which is focused on the good deeds alumni have done both in the Carleton community and beyond.
“It’s exciting to see how far so many of our graduates have come and how successful and how involved they are in the community,” Hayes said. “Events like Throwback really profile and highlight that and give students and alumni a lot to be proud about.”
Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) also held events during Throwback. Fahd Alhattab, CUSA president, said 200 to 300 people came out to a tailgate party held before the Ravens football game on Sept. 17.
“We’ve received a lot of messages from different people saying this is what’s been missing,” Alhattab said. “That’s part of the football culture and as a student association we’re really, really happy to be able to play that role.”
Jay Nordenstrom, the former president of the CUAA, said he is impressed with how the alumni association has been able to grow homecoming from previous years.
“We have the full support of the university, student groups, faculties and departments,” he said.
According to Nordenstrom, Carleton’s Throwback homecoming acts as a “post-orientation” for new students.
He said events such as the Milestone Anniversary event are a place of nostalgia for alumni, where they can share stories of when they were Carleton students, and of what Carleton has done for them since then.
“It’s important to have events where we can reconnect with [alumni] who want to have a relationship with the university that may not be through faculties,” Nordenstrom said.
Hayes said that coming back to Carleton is not limited to the four years one might have spent at the university, but includes everyone who was a part of the community. She said it is an opportunity to meet people from a range of different years and periods at Carleton.
“It’s a good time to be on campus,” Hayes said. “It’s good time to be at Carleton and it’s a good time to engage and re-engage as an alumni.”
