UOIT Brings IT to Homecoming 2012

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) recently celebrated Homecoming 2012, which brought together more than 500 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends for a weekend of good cheer and celebration.

"UOIT Homecoming 2012 was a fantastic event for alumni to celebrate the relationships, memories and bonds that made our experiences on campus so special,” said Naheed Dosani, Science, class of 2008 and Homecoming 2012 co-chair. "It was exciting to hear alumni speak at our new speaker event, to see the formation of our first Alumni Association council and to see the Ridgebacks spirit so alive all over campus."

The weekend was comprised of a variety of activities, including:

• A family carnival consisting of bouncy castles, interactive games, clowns, entertainment and UOIT’s Faculty of Science teaching children the cool side of science;
• Alumni Adventures: Tales from the Other Side where UOIT alumni shared their incredible life and professional experiences after graduation. A special keynote address was presented by Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder and president of War Child North America;
• Open House tours;
• Future Ridgebacks’ Soccer Clinic where children aged five to 12 learned stellar soccer moves from the Ridgebacks men’s and women’s teams, and coaching staffs;
• Skating with the Ridgebacks’ hockey teams;
• Themed-pub nights;
• An alumni dodgeball game won by the former Orientation Leaders a.k.a. Team Orange Crunch (TOC);
• The inaugural Alumni Association Annual General Meeting;
• Varsity soccer and hockey games;
• Homecoming Brunch and BBQ; and
• The inaugural Homecoming Blizzard Blast competition, where four teams of alumni built snowmen in the Automotive Centre of Excellence’s climatic wind tunnel.

Alumni and students also had the chance to a $1,250 Champion Award. Kristina Thirlwell, Criminology and Justice, class of 2012 won the Alumni Champion award, which she will use toward her student loan and Isaac Youmans, a fourth-year Criminology and Justice student, won the Student Champion Award and will put the money toward his tuition.

Homecoming 2012 was made possible due to generous support of the following sponsors:

• Auto Workers Community Credit Union;
• ARAMARK;
• Coca-Cola;
• Covanta;
• GDI OMNI Integrated Facility Services;
• Gervais Party and Tent Rentals;
• Heathrow Properties Inc.;
• Jason Rinaldi;
• Johnson Inc.;
• Nustadia;
• Oshawa Downtown;
• Oshawa PUC;
• TD Canada Trust; and
• Veridian.