Chapman University’s annual homecoming celebration dates back to the 1930s, a tradition long upheld by alumni and the university to reunite family and friends through football and festivities, according to Andi Doddridge, Chapman’s director of Alumni Engagement and Development. However, this year’s homecoming week occurred entirely online for the first time in the university’s history.

The online format – incurred by social distancing regulations – included a virtual 5K race, “Chapman Chats,” alumni awards and “Global Chappy Hours,” taking place from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10. Doddridge told The Panther that the homecoming events aimed to bring students, alumni, faculty and staff participating remotely across the globe closer than ever before. 

“We have definitely seen a drop in the number of alumni that can come (to homecoming events) as our alumni community has spread out,” Doddridge said. “This year, we were excited to offer a virtual program in the hopes that alumni around the country and world would attend.”

Approximately 300 registered runners across the country participated in a virtual 5K race at any time and location during the week, Doddridge explained. Both younger and older runners had the opportunity to print out both their race bib and race certificate from wherever they were. No route or time submission was required for all registered runners to receive a Pete the Panther medal in the mail.

The approximately $1500 made from registration donations will go toward the CU Safely Back Fund, according to Cristina Hallock, Chapman’s event manager for Alumni Engagement and Development. This fund will benefit Chapman’s reopening to in-person learning by providing necessary financial aid, emergency funds, academic assistance, technology and more.

“The 5K in the past has been extremely expensive and difficult for people in the city,” Doddridge said. “This year, with COVID-19, there was never a better time to try out (a virtual 5K race). We embraced it and have been really happy with the response.”

Nine live Chapman Chats meetings, each hosted by a different Chapman college, provided professional analyses and discussions on various topics, like mindfulness for stress relief and the pursuit of happiness, throughout homecoming week. Each virtual Zoom event was recorded and will be uploaded to the homecoming website.

An Oct. 6 meeting, hosted by the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, explored systemic racism, hate and bias in student and faculty experiences. Valentyna Simon, a freshman psychology major who attended the event, emphasized the positive impact the meeting left on her.

“(The seminar) was honestly so informative,” Simon said. “Attending this homecoming meeting is just one of the few ways I have been able to become a better ally to the BIPOC community.”

Eleven alumni were honored Oct. 9 with a Distinguished Alumni Award, an honor given to one recent graduate and one alumni from each of the Chapman colleges and schools.

“This is an event in which we recognize those in our community who have been so impactful in society,” said Chapman President Daniele Struppa in a video accompanying the award recipients. “When I look at (the recipients), I am struck by the diversity of the accomplishments (they) represent.”

To end homecoming week, 22 Global Chappy Hours Zoom meetups were scheduled Oct. 9. One meeting, titled the “50 Year Club Alumni Chappy Hour,” brought together Chapman graduates from the classes of 1940 to 1971. Other meetups included the Black Alumni Association, the Young Alumni Society, the Promising Futures First-Generation Program and regional alumni chapters from areas across the country.

Aaron Flewellen, president of the Chapman University Alumni Association, explained that while in-person alumni gatherings will always be preferable for individuals who are naturally extroverted, digital gatherings may improve overall alumni involvement. 

“We have alumni in every state, many countries and every continent, so by moving to doing some events virtually, it opens up the ability for all of those people to participate,” Flewellen said. “With all the new technology, we can provide opportunities for them to network with the rest of the Chapman community.”

Although Chapman moved all homecoming events online for the first time this year due to the pandemic, Doddridge told The Panther that virtual gatherings will accompany future homecomings and other alumni events for years to come.

“(The virtual format) is going to connect people in a way that it has never been before,” Doddridge said. “We were kind of seeing the death of the reunion for universities across the country, but this could offer us the revert of people staying connected in different ways.”