Window Paint Wiped Out: Yard Art On the Move

Homecoming is often a celebration of tradition, but this year an innovative newcomer replaces an old homecoming favorite -- window painting.

"We no longer do window painting," Michele Irby, director of Campus Life and Event Services, said. "Last year was the first year we didn't paint. We stopped for a couple of reasons."

One reason included getting complaints from business owners whose windows were being used for the large, colorful murals. The main complaint was that the organizations doing the painting weren't always cleaning the windows when they were finished.

Jeff Mungle, general manager of Burrito-Ville, can attest to the first complaint at hand. He's dealt with a paint covered window and a no-show clean-up crew in the past.

"After being fined for not coming and cleaning it, the guys sent their girlfriends to clean their window," Mungle said. "All the while, we had this paint covered window that we couldn't see through. We just didn't want to deal with all of that again."

According to Irby, the activity was also a safety concern because students were out painting windows in the dark on Broadway in the middle of the night.

As well as being potentially dangerous, window paintings are stationary. A different method would give the Homecoming Planning Committee more flexibility. That new method is yard art.

"Yard Art allows us to avoid problems one and two above," Irby said. "It also gives us a chance to do something creative that is portable enough to be displayed all over campus."

According to Sarah Rinehart, an Alpha Xi Delta in charge of her sorority's yard art, it's a two-sided sandwich board that is sanded, painted white, and chained together in the bottom. It stands 8' x 4' for Division I and 4' x 4' in Division 2 and is delivered to the organization's preferred location, ready to be painted.

While Rinehart said she was disappointed that yard art was replacing window painting, she was excited to take on the task at hand.

"Having to paint two sides [although optional] is going to be like painting two different windows," Rinehart said. "It will be hard work and time consuming, but it will give us the opportunity to be more creative. I think the feel of our individual organizations can really be shown, instead of concentrating on emphasizing the fact that it's the homecoming football game."

Not everyone is as accepting of the newcomer as Rinehart, however.

"I think the people of Cape look forward to seeing the windows [painted] as a sign of the coming homecoming parade," Kristina Davis, a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, said. "The yard art is seen more by the student population rather than the city as a whole."

According to Irby, the yard art should be on display at Houck Stadium during the football game, which begins at 1 p.m. Oct. 22.Therefore, more than just the student body will get to admire the decorations.

If you can't make it to the homecoming football game, make sure to keep your eyes peeled because the yard art should be scattered all over campus for everyone -- students and passersby alike -- to admire.