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4 Last hornet tnn Galloway btan wnter Five years ago, USC crowned its last homecoming queen and became one of the few schools in the Southeast not to have a homecoming queen. The competition was removed from homecoming activities because of general student apathy. According to the last homecoming queen, ElizabethAnn Loadholt Felder, any campus organization, in 1990, could nominate a contestant and the decision was made based on a panel of judges and a vote by the student body. Felder said grades and activities also figured into the judging. "When I was there, I thought the way we were selected was very fair," Felder said. "Any group could nominate someone. We were interviewed by a panel of judges both as a group of three candidates and maiviauaiiy. The candidates were narrowed down to five, according to Felder, and the student body voted from among the five. "It was a wonderful experience. I was a big Carolina fan since I was bom and I had a real sense of loyalty to Carolina," Felder said. Felder's mother, Anne Gray Loadholt, a 1966 USC graduate, was homecoming queen in 1964. "The night I was crowned was my parents' class reunion and they took the homecoming court over to the Coliseum (where the reunion was held) and introduced us," Felder said. "It was a unique experience for my mother and I." As for controversy, Felder said she O&eftfiti fHomeo 1 Dozen ] 1/-2 Dozei All major c This includes Free delr and the surrounding vie Classifieds Wo :oming que could tell there were members of the Hnmomminrr mmmiooinn wVin uioron't happy with the homecoming queen competition. aI could tell that the Homecoming Commission was not as enthusiastic about the queen as they were about other activities," she said. "But I know there were black candidates and a black ': m ^| USC Interim President Arthur Smith escorts Loadholt at the 1990 homecoming game. person on the panel of judges." Several traditions surrounding the queen's crowning were broken in 1990, according to Felder. In past years, the queen was announced at Cockfest and \e !7fons/ oming Special - Oct. 10, 1995 ^oses = $35 plus tax i = $23 plus tax redit cards welcome. /ery to U.S.C. campus inity. rk...777-1184 HOMECOMING 1995 en favors r presented during halftime at the Homecoming game. But in 1990, Felder said, she was announced as queen at Friday night's Homecoming dance because Cockfest was rained out. However, she was presented at the pre-game show and the commission was only going to present the queen, not the whole court. "They (the Homecoming Commission) crowned us Friday night, not at the game," she said. "They were only going to let the queen come out at the game, not the court but they changed their minds at the last minute." FeldeFs mother, of Barnwell, said there was no controversy surrounding the competition when she was crowned in 1964. She said sexism was barely even a word at the time and racism was not an issue. "Racism was not even a thought," Loadholt said. "At the most, there were two black students at USC. It was not even an issue. The most controversial thing about homecoming that year was that a float caught on fire on the football field." According to Student Government Vice President Darcie Shively, a resolution was passed in the spring to research what other schools in the south east are doing in terms of a homecoming queen or other ambassador. Shively said she would like to sit down with Carolina Productions and the Homecoming commissioner to discuss alternative plans. "I think we will come up with some type of figurehead," Shively said. "The H' Join the Columbia White, and the S^C tomorrow, Octo iL?H : U It I IUII HttUI I III ly at 10am ( Snow White wil e p r < AH programs paid for, in part assistance for disabilities eturn of co Homecoming Commission will make the final decision, but it will not affect this year's homecoming. Felder said she liked the idea of bringing back the Home- gpl incoming queen compe- |?f| f * 1 think it would be ! |P* great to have someone I'jL v. to represent USC, if 1 she spoke out about the university and Efl gave information to JH the community," she Felder did not dis- : like the possibility of a * tyW homecoming queen and king, but she said, ?W "Everything in life is B not exactly equal. "Obviously, having a female figurehead is traditional, but what- Loadholt ridM ever is decided, it coming Parad< should be up to a student body vote," she said. Loadholt said she thought the judges were looking for a much more well-rounded person when her daughter was crowned and that she liked the idea ol bringing back the competition. "It's definitely something we've missed at the games. It makes homecoming just another game," she said. She agreed with Feldefs suggestion Heigh-H?, eigh-H?. t? Hcmcccmir a^Vtaofiette Theater, Sn fpn^ilfcp, as they perfc ^r^ran^reene Street varnivalHne carnival bee sndJasts until 3pm '/ beHperformed < a r i) 1 i 11 a > H ii c t i ? n s , with student activity fees. Persons needing please call Carolina Productions at 777-71 Tuesday, October 3,1995 impetition Hp. ... H * ^/JlliF JiraHH mM& A*^^m&? ^p III t In her float In the 1964 Home k that the queen could be more than just a title. "If she's crowned in the first part of the year, then she's available for a year to represent USC. I can envision the queen being much much more," Loadholt said. Felder graduated from the USC School of Law in May 1994 at the top of her class. She and her husband, Johnny Felder practice in Columbia with > JLqJjk the Jgk vZay 9*' w ow / \ / and there are\ )rm / plenty more fun, \ 0^ _l Homecoming I \ events all weeic J gins ? \. iono J n ; special