Volunteer diver Jimmy Lowrey holds a UTC football helmet in the Secret Reef at the Tennessee Aquarium. Photo courtesy of Doug Strickland/Tennessee Aquarium.
Oh, what a week!
Every September, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga celebrates Founder’s Week to commemorate the University’s establishment in 1886.
Every fall, Homecoming Week brings alumni back to campus for events, activities and football—and to join current UTC students in showcasing their “Blue and Gold” school pride.
The two pillars of University tradition coincide this week.
“With Founder’s Week and Homecoming occurring at the same time, this is a tremendous opportunity for our alumni to connect with the new class of Mocs and for people to get involved, engaged and appreciate how far we’ve come as an institution,” said UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle.
“It’s a chance for alumni to share some of the traditions that have meant a lot to them with our new students, and our current students can really benefit from getting to know our alumni and taking advantage of their experience and wisdom.”
Founder’s Week
Founder’s Week is an annual weeklong celebration commemorating the first day in the University’s history. On Sept. 15, 1886, Chattanooga University opened its doors for the first time with a teaching staff of seven and an enrollment of 118 students.
Chancellor Angle will hold a State of the University address at noon on Friday, Sept. 16, on the Chamberlain Field Pavilion. Following the address, tours of the recently renovated Lupton and Hunter Halls will be available.
Scrappy poses in front of the Indo-Pacific Reef exhibit at the Tennessee Aquarium. Photo courtesy of Doug Strickland/Tennessee Aquarium.
Homecoming Week
The theme of Homecoming Week 2022 is “Under the C,” which immediately connotes thoughts of underwater adventures.
The Tennessee Aquarium has brought those thoughts to life.
“When the theme for Homecoming 2022 was unveiled, it was exciting to know that we had a community partner so close to campus that is not only an incredible backdrop for fun ‘C’-themed pictures but also one that provides such a benefit to our city and campus community,” explained Amy Donahue, senior director of marketing for the Division of Advancement.
Donahue said the Aquarium helped create photo opportunities involving Scrappy, the Power C football helmet and alumni.
“For the ‘Under the C’ theme, highlighting UTC alumni and current students who find themselves living out their degrees on the husbandry staff of the Tennessee Aquarium is a great way to relate the theme to what our students and alumni do day to day,” she said.
Homecoming Week begins Saturday, Sept. 10, with the annual Day of Service, an event “where we partner with organizations in the community and allow students to give back,” said Chris Bridgers, assistant director for student engagement.
For this year’s community service project, UTC students will support Chattanooga Room in the Inn—which assists women and children experiencing homelessness—and the Chattanooga Community Kitchen.
Also this weekend, banner painting will take place on Saturday and Sunday from 3-7 p.m. at the University Center.
“This is the student organizations’ way of showing their school spirit and combining that spirit with the homecoming theme of ‘Under the C,’” Bridgers said. “It’s a fun event, and we hang the banners over the UC to display them to the campus community.”
The Kickoff Pep Rally and Alumni Mixer takes place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, on Chamberlain Field, featuring University and city officials, the UTC Spirit Squads and the Marching Mocs. The student Homecoming Court will be introduced as part of the festivities.
Highlights of a busy week’s worth of fun, games, food, music and swag include Water Games in the ARC swimming pool (Tuesday, Sept. 13), including a version of the board game “Battleship” in canoes—with a goal of sinking the other team’s battleship; a Lip Sync competition at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium (Wednesday, Sept. 14); the Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff event (Thursday, Sept. 15); and the Homecoming Yard Show (Friday, Sept. 16).
“The Yard Show is an opportunity for our Greek letter (National Pan-Hellenic Council) organizations to display their culture and history through step and strolling on campus,” Bridgers said.
The event will be held on Chamberlain Field following a UTC Divine Nine Heritage Park progress reveal at 5:15 p.m. at the on-campus intersection of Vine Street and T.O. Way, adjacent to the University Center.
The progress reveal will update last year’s announcement of the creation of UTC Divine Nine Heritage Park. The park will commemorate the impact of the historically African American fraternities and sororities—known as the “Divine Nine’’—that came to UTC more than 50 years ago. Eight of the “Divine Nine” organizations are on the UTC campus.
Prior to the opening kickoff, UTC freshmen and sophomores get to run across the Finley Stadium field during the annual Mocs Flock Finley event. Photo by Angela Foster.
Football
The week culminates with football, of course, and the nationally ranked Mocs take on North Alabama at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Finley Stadium.
If the combination of a football game and the crowning of the homecoming king and queen at halftime wasn’t enough excitement, two annual student-centric events will be held as part of the day’s Finley Stadium festivities.
Mocs Flock Finley, a campus tradition introducing new UTC students to the Mocs football experience, will take place prior to kickoff. Freshmen and sophomore students are the guests of honor for food, fun and pregame tailgating before they run across the football field.
The Marching Mocs will play host to the 15th annual Band Day, an event that brings area and regional high school band students to be VIP guests for a day. Approximately 250 high school band members will get a taste of what it’s like to be in the UTC marching band.
Calendar of Events
Information about Founder’s Week and Homecoming Week activities can be found on their respective pages. Students should connect via MocSync for event updates. Alumni-related homecoming activities can be found by checking out the Division of Advancement’s Alumni Affairs page.
Saturday (Sept. 10)
- 8 a.m. Day of Service, Lupton Hall 1st Floor
- 3 p.m. Banner Painting, Terrell Owens Way (circle drive outside University Center)
Sunday (Sept. 11)
- 3 p.m. Banner Painting, Terrell Owens Way (circle drive outside University Center)
Monday (Sept. 12)
- Noon Pop In for Homecoming, Cardiac Hill and Heritage Plaza
- 5:30 p.m. Kickoff Pep Rally, Chamberlain Field
- 6 p.m. Alumni/Student Mixer, Advancement House (formerly Development House, 605 Oak St.)
Tuesday (Sept. 13)
- 11:30 a.m. Service Awards Luncheon, University Center, invitation only
- 2 p.m. HoCo Fun Fair, Chamberlain Field
- 6 p.m. Water Games, ARC Pool
Wednesday (Sept. 14)
- Noon Sand Art Make and Take, Chamberlain Pavilion
- 8 p.m. Lip Sync, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium (399 McCallie Ave.)
Thursday (Sept. 15)
- 11 a.m. Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff, Lupton Hall 1st Floor
- 4:30 p.m. Alumni Tap Party, Naked River Brewing (1791 Reggie White Blvd.), alumni event
- 8 p.m. Headphone Dance Party, Chamberlain Field
Friday (Sept. 16)
- Noon State of the University, Chamberlain Pavilion/Field
- 12:30 p.m. Fish Fry and Swag Bar, Vine Street by the Power C
- 6 p.m. Homecoming Yard Show, Chamberlain Field
Saturday (Sept. 17)
- 3 p.m. Homecoming Alumni Tailgate, First Horizon Pavilion
- 3:30 p.m. Student Tailgate, Outside of First Horizon Pavilion
- 4 p.m. Mocs Flock Finley, Finley Stadium
- 6 p.m. UTC vs. North Alabama, Finley Stadium
Last year’s Homecoming Queen and King, Ali Yarbrough and Allen Towry.
