Polarizing Homecoming Polls

Fraternities, sororities, and other campus organizations paraded through campus and Bowling Green during WKU’s homecoming on Oct. 13, 2017.

This week we sent out five polls from our Twitter account, @wkuherald if you didn’t know already, to hear your opinions on some hot Homecoming topics. Who is the most adored Toy Story character on the Hill? What world famous pop star do we want to hear at the Homecoming concert?

We heard your answers, and here they are:

Our first poll proves everyone just wants to be a star. But this town isn’t big enough for all of us. Hopefully no one poisons the waterhole or puts a snake in your boot at tailgate. There was a tie between Buzz Lightyear and Rex, which goes to show being the shiny new toy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Alumni should be happy to hear this.

In a twist, tailgating was beat out by Friday’s Homecoming parade as the most anticipated part of the weekend. Even though there would be no Homecoming without football, it looks like the team will need to step up its game to make the top of our poll next year. But let’s face it—all four of these options are better than what we’ll actually be doing this week … pomping it up.

We’re well aware that none of these artists would have a realistic chance of finding their way to the Hill, but it’s always fun to dream, right? Our voters seemed to have moved on from the castle on the hill and more or less told us that Ed Sheeran has seen happier days, and country music fans will be disappointed to see Luke Combs barely beating Ed out for third place. It’s no surprise that voters want to see the 1D guys back together, and what better place for them to reconvene than in Bowling Green? The winner of our fantasy musical poll, however, are our friends who walk it like they talk it and always get the bag: Migos. Too bad Beyoncé and Ariana Grande weren’t even options.

This was a two-horse race from the start. As many students have voiced in the past few years, tailgating has and always will be best suited for open areas that can fit as many Hilltopper fans as possible. South Lawn, a natural greenspace that students have lobbied for the tailgate to be moved to, wins this one by a pretty sizable margin. For now, the Grise Hall area will have to suffice for students and recent alumni to celebrate the best Saturday of the fall.

WKU could use any of these four former Hilltoppers this year, but Brandon Doughty is the clear favorite of our voters. Doughty beat out recent WKU football legends and NFL players Mike White, Taywan Taylor and Jack Doyle by grabbing 54 percent of the vote himself. Doughty rewrote the WKU football record book in his time on the Hill, and holds numerous program records, including the record for career passing yards and career passing touchdowns.