STILLWATER, Okla. — It’s homecoming week at Oklahoma State University. It is nationally recognized and one of the largest in the country. One thing that makes it so is a tradition known as the “walkaround.”
The walkaround is the biggest annual event at Oklahoma State University, drawing in 100,000 people to Stillwater. Sororities and fraternities team up for 10 weeks to create massive pomping displays called House Decorations—or “House Decs,” for short.
Members are required to sign up for shifts. One house we visited fines members $10 for each missed hour of the required 10 hours a week. In the final days leading up to the event, there’s even a graveyard shift. One person told 2News they hadn’t slept in 32 hours.
“It’s time consuming, super stressful but seeing the end product, it’s worth it,” said Denver Porter of Beta Theta Pi. He was the leader of the operation for his fraternity this year. He says although they spend 10 weeks building the display, planning begins in January.
“We have two guys majoring in computer engineering and their job the whole 10 weeks is to code every moving part,” he said.
The idea started in the 1920s when sororities decorated their doors for homecoming. They grew more and more elaborate every year. In the 1960s, they began blocking off streets and issuing “bragging rights” awards.
For the students, it’s bigger than just hours of work – it’s a tradition that fosters relationships.
“For me, it’s family,” said Porter. “I get emotional thinking about it, it’s brought me so many good things in my life, it’s awesome.”
The downside? The cleanup—but, we’re told that’s what freshmen are for.
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