Laurier students, alumni celebrate homecoming with football, festivities

Laurier's annual homecoming weekend brought out purple and gold as students and alumni gathered for a mix of celebrations. CTV's Hannah Schmidt reports.

Wilfrid Laurier University’s annual homecoming weekend brought out purple and gold as students and alumni gathered for a mix of celebrations.

“We love Laurier. We used to come to this event every fall and it’s something that we’re kind of trying to continue as we get older and kind of stay connected to this,” said alumna, Kaitlyn McPhee.

“Really, what you see is our alumni coming back with their families and trying to enjoy campus and the campus community all together,” said Kate McCrae Bristol, director of athletics and recreation at Laurier.

The Golden Hawks hosted the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday in front of fans at University Stadium.

“Homecoming in particular sells out over 5,000, usually one to two weeks prior to the game,” explained McCrae Bristol.

Laurier secured a decisive 59-21 victory.

“I love seeing all the people come out and all the school support and everyone wearing the colours,” said one student. “It’s a good environment with all the fans and everyone having fun. I feel like I never have school spirit, but this is making me go like, ‘Go Laurier!’”

“[There’s] a lot of young people, a lot of energy, a lot of spirit, a lot of getting back together,” said alumnus, Marvin Mantha.

Spectators were welcomed with new grandstand seating and ongoing upgrades at the facility.

“We are still in the midst of construction,” said McCrae Bristol. “So, over the next four weeks, we’ll finish the south side of our stadium to complete our playing surface, eating capacity, new grandstands, and we’re chugging along towards a new facility. We’re aiming for a 100,000 square foot new building which will serve all of our students, not just our varsity programs, in their recreation and wellness endeavors. It’s a work in progress. Today is a first glance at these new grandstands on the north side.”

Events across campus drew large crowds, but streets that in past years were filled with unsanctioned gatherings looked quieter.

Ezra Avenue and parts of the surrounding university district were fenced off ahead of the weekend, and Waterloo Regional Police and private security maintained a visible presence throughout the weekend.

“We’re waiting for people to start showing up,” said one student who lives near Marshall Street, another area that often plays host to large group gatherings. “We’ve already had two police officers just come up to us...telling us they’re going to fine us if we create a nuisance, but I think that it stops people from coming out during the day.”

“When I was here earlier, like in the past few years, it had been a bit bigger, but yeah, it’s a bit smaller,” said another student.

Some residences were also gated as part of safety measures.

“There’s been a lot of bylaw, a lot of police just driving around, keeping everyone in check, I guess,” said one student.

Despite the added restrictions, many students wore Laurier colours and took part in homecoming activities across the city.

“It’ll definitely pick up,” one student told CTV News. “A lot of kids will start getting on the streets to do a couple lawn parties...get stuff going, I’m sure.”

The university said the goal was to balance school spirit with community safety, building on a broader effort by officials to prevent disruptive street parties that have become common at post-secondary homecomings across Ontario.

“There’s no doubt it’s a big weekend for students to get involved and take part in the different things happening across campus,” said McCrae Bristol. “We urge students, as we do with any special event, to be safe, to be respectful and to be active contributors to our community.”