Josh Chilson

The football game is not the only contest occurring during Hobo Week.

Student organizations compete every year in a challenge of school spirit. They participate in a variety of contests that showcase students’ SDSU pride.

Residence halls, Greek organizations and other student groups go head-to-head in the Bum Olympics, scavenger hunt, float contest, one-month club, paint-the-town, hall decorating competition and other activities throughout the week. Winners of these contests gain Hobo Spirit points, and the organization that ultimately gains the most points wins the overall Hobo Spirit competition.

Sophomore Geoffrey Nixon, a theatre and speech communication major and president of Caldwell Hall government, views the Hobo Week competition as “a chance for residence halls and student organizations to participate in an event that is well-remembered and is a whole lot of fun.”

There are also competitions designed to benefit charities. “Hobos vs. Hunger” is a food drive in which the different organizations see who can collect the most food for the Brookings food pantry. The United Way benefits from the “Hobos-CAN-Do-It” food drive, as student organizations race to see which group is able to collect the most cans.

The charitable competitions allow students to work together toward a common cause.

“We want to win, but we would rather have our hall as a community working on a project together,” said freshman Annie Morgan, a pre-nursing major and vice president of Mathews Hall government.

Last year, Farmhouse was the winning Greek organization and Hansen Hall was the winning residence hall. Hansen Hall Government President Evan Papousek, a sophomore ag business major, believes that teamwork is the key to their hall’s success.

“Basically everyone here gets along and everyone pitches in and helps out,” he said.

Many students use the competitions as a chance to become involved in campus activities. It is also an opportunity for the different residence halls and fraternities to interact.

“[Hobo Week is] a prime event to bring all students organizations together and rally behind the goal of supporting SDSU Jackrabbits as well as the heritage of our university,” said Jason Frerichs, senior ag education major and president of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.