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Rattlers gather at the FAMU Homecoming parade. (Khalil Lullah-Ballentine\/FAMUAN)<\/p>\n
Florida A&M University\u2019s 2025 homecoming week brought familiar excitement and noticeable change.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While students enjoyed classic events like the parade,\u00a0concert\u00a0and football\u00a0game, they also noticed the absence of long-standing traditions,\u00a0such as the Housing Step Show and the Comedy Show.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For years, the Housing Step Show\u00a0has been a significant\u00a0highlight\u00a0of FAMU\u2019s homecoming festivities. Residence hall teams\u00a0showcased\u00a0creative routines, chants and dance moves before packed crowds.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been at FAMU for four years, and homecoming has always meant more than just the football game,\u201d said Maesa Anderson, a fourth-year theater major. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0the step show, the dorm competition, the comedy show, all those things make FAMU, FAMU.\u00a0I felt something\u00a0was missing when I heard it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0happening this year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anderson said the event helped\u00a0students\u00a0bond through teamwork and late-night practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt built a community in the dorms,\u201d she said. \u201cThings evolve, but I hope they\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0forget what made this school special. Traditions anchor us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other students, however, see change as a natural part of growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChange isn\u2019t necessarily bad,\u201d said Alexis Freeman, a fourth-year public relations major. \u201cThe culture of college life shifts. Social media, new\u00a0interests\u00a0and different student priorities all play a role.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not upset that some events were replaced; it shows\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0adapting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still,\u00a0Freeman\u00a0acknowledges\u00a0that some traditions hold irreplaceable value.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWhen you cut something like the step show or the comedy show, you lose a piece of our story,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cI just hope what comes next keeps the same energy and connection.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The official FAMU homecoming website lists the Housing Step Show as one of its \u201ctraditional events\u201d that helps celebrate the university\u2019s spirit and culture. But as campus life continues to evolve, so does the definition of tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many students agree that FAMU\u2019s challenge lies in\u00a0striking a balance between\u00a0innovation\u00a0and\u00a0legacy.\u00a0While new attractions and local partnerships highlight the\u00a0university\u2019s forward momentum, others worry that losing signature events could weaken the sense of community built over decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe soul of FAMU isn\u2019t in a schedule,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0in the students and the memories we make.\u00a0As long as\u00a0we keep that,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0be okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rattlers gather at the FAMU Homecoming parade. (Khalil Lullah-Ballentine\/FAMUAN) Florida A&M University\u2019s 2025 homecoming week brought familiar excitement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-76036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}