Football Coach Tom O’Brien, the pep band and cheerleaders will attend the season’s first pep rally Thursday in Harris Field Today.
According to organizer and senior class president Adam Compton, the event is expected to last 30 minutes, and Ruckus Pizza is donating food for those who attend.
“We picked Thursday after getting everybody together because Thursday, most people are still on campus that are going to be on campus, can hopefully hear the noise and come out of their dorms,” Compton, a senior in agricultural business management said.
Upperclassmen are more likely to be on campus then, too, as on a Friday they may be going out and would not want to return to campus for a pep rally.
Student Body President Jay Dawkins said participating organizations also helped decide what day to hold the pep rally.
“The biggest reason we’re having it this Thursday is the Alumni Ambassadors and Students Today Alumni Tomorrow already have the logistical support for an event like this: the stage, the speakers, not to mention the food and crowd that would already gather for an event they are hosting,” Dawkins, a senior in civil engineering, said. “Some members of the planning committee expressed concern about having an event Friday evening and we’re not sure how many people will be on campus.”
Jillian Casey, a freshman in agriculture education, said she would much rather have a pep rally Thursday than Friday, because more people will be able to come.
Mr. and Miss Wuf may also make an appearance at the pep rally, Compton said, and the planning committee is hoping to have a rally once a month.
The next one, he said, will be the Pack Howl, the concert on Oct. 3 for Homecoming Weekend.
This year, the Pack Howl will feature hip-hop artist Common and alternative hip-hop band N.E.R.D., and Compton said tickets are on sale now.
Student tickets are $10 in advance, and will be $15 on the day of the concert.
“They’re really trying to get he word out,” Compton said. “They’re really trying to make sure students know about it. This is the second year we’ve had a concert booked this early.”
The homecoming committee will continue to promote the event, which will be before the Wolfpack play Boston College, he said.
The next pep rally will likely be the Ram Roast, which falls before the game against UNC-Chapel Hill, Compton said.
The committee will likely plan another rally later that month, he said, because the game against the Tar Heels will be played in Chapel Hill.
They will also be talking to men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe to discuss the possibility of having participation in pep rallies during basketball season.
Another way to enhance fan enthusiasm before Saturday’s game, Dawkins said, is a “red-out.”
“We’re doing a red-out this weekend in the student section [of Carter-Finley Stadium], he said. “It’s not that big of a stretch for most students, but just to make sure, we’re going to do a red-out.”
