Five women and three men recognized for their campus and community involvement will vie for the titles of homecoming king and queen, one of the longest-running traditions at Ferris State University.
The university will celebrate homecoming with a full slate of activities beginning Monday, Oct. 8 and culminating on Saturday, Oct. 13 with a parade and football game. The king and queen will be crowned during halftime of the game by 2011 King Xue Lao and Queen Emily Kearney.
“Every candidate brings a uniqueness to the homecoming court,” said Herman Brooks,
chairman of the selection committee. “Being a student leader and helping to influence
students in a positive way is part of this tradition.”
The candidates for queen are: 
Alina Harrington, a senior from Lansing majoring in Criminal Justice
Avery Larson, a senior from Flint majoring in Public Relations
Allison Meier, a senior from Grosse Pointe majoring in Nursing
Kelsey Rios, a senior from Big Rapids majoring in Hotel, Restaurant and Food Industry Management
Chelsea Swank, a senior from Bay City majoring in Social Work
The candidates for king are:
Donald “DJ” Reesman, a junior from St. Clair Shores majoring in Marketing
Zach Rokosz, a senior from Midland majoring in Music Industry Management
Byron Williams, a senior from Pontiac majoring in Public Relations
Voting begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10 and continues through 11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 on the Election Portal in OrgSync. Students must be registered in OrgSync and be a part of the Ferris State University Umbrella and Election Portal to participate. Click here to enter the portal: http://ferris.orgsync.com/JoinOrgSync.
In addition to their individual campaigns, candidates will attend several homecoming week events, including a lip sync competition and King and Queen Q&A at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8 in Williams Auditorium. Other events include a kickball tournament at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Top Taggart Field, the homecoming bonfire at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10 in Lot 61 behind Brophy/McNerney Hall, and a performance by a comedian at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 in Williams Auditorium.
The homecoming parade begins at noon Saturday, Oct. 13 and will be followed by the football game at 2 p.m. at Top Taggart Field, which pits the Bulldogs against the Hillsdale College Chargers.
The homecoming theme this year is “Brutus for President – Join the Bulldog Party!” in reference to the university’s mascot and the 2012 presidential election, Brooks said.
To run for king or queen, candidates must be a full-time student with a 2.5 GPA or higher with junior or senior status and in good standing with the Office of Student Conduct. Students also must be involved in an extracurricular activity, such as a Registered Student Organization or varsity sport at Ferris, must be sponsored by two RSOs and must have a campaign manager who also is a full-time student.
Potential candidates were interviewed by a committee of faculty, staff and students, and finalists were chosen based on extracurricular and community service involvement, understanding of the importance of homecoming and its tradition, future goals, school spirit, poise and presentation skills, and the ability to represent the university’s student body.