The fifth annual student Halloween celebration, Troyapalooza, took place Tuesday night. Every year, the International Arts Center, in partnership with different student departments and organizations, put on a festival full of music, food and art. Troyapalooza began during COVID as a way to bring students together in a trying time. Every year, the event takes place at the amphitheater on campus as well as the plaza outside of the IAC. “We wanted to showcase the arts,” said Car

Homecoming season is here yet again, and students across Troy’s campus are preparing for a special annual Homecoming tradition: the Homecoming parade.  The Homecoming parade, sponsored by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, is a tradition that students, faculty, alumni and the surrounding community of Troy look forward to each year.  “It's been going on forever,” said Abby Gilliland, vice president of campus affairs. “It’s really just such a great way to involve the communit

Each year, many alumni return to campus during Homecoming to celebrate tradition and experience a blast from the past. 2025 is no different.  Sheryl Ponder, a Hoover, Alabama native, graduated in 1990 and majored in elementary education. Ponder is revisiting campus for a new reason this year.   “My daughter, Katie, is currently a freshman at Troy,” Ponder said. “She will be part of the parade with her sorority this year, so that’s the reason I’m coming back.  “It is great to

As the new Homecoming and Trojan Pride winners are crowned, the former title holders are reminiscing on their time since gaining this achievement and reflecting on the year spent with their titles.   “I continued doing the same things that helped me earn the title in the first place,” said 2024 Homecoming King Derrick Nobles, who is a graduate student from Mobile, Alabama. “I remained committed to being a leader on campus, serving others and inspiring the next generation of s

Troy Fraternities and Sororities came together with the Student Government Association to compete in a dance competition for Homecoming week.  The competition, called Dancing through Life, is an annual Homecoming event in which each sorority and fraternity on campus choreographs and performs a dance, with the top fraternity and sorority being announced at the Homecoming game on Saturday.  “The energy was crazy in the Arena,” said Ethan Jones, a Farmhouse dancer and sophomore

The Troy softball team served up all treats and no tricks last Wednesday evening at its annual Trunk-or-Treat event.   Kids from the community poured onto the softball field as the sun set, hoping to score big on candy. The softball players and coaches all dressed up and facilitated the games.   One such player, dressed as Bobby Boucher from “The Waterboy,” passed out candy from a cooler.  “I think it's amazing to bring the community to the field, show them where it's at,” sa

Students gathered in Patterson 105 for a special showing of the horror film “Sinners” last Wednesday night.   Troy’s University Activities Council put on this movie night to get students into the Halloween spirit.  “Tonight's turnout was better than expected,” said UAC President Jamie Parker, who is a junior nursing major from Millbrook, Alabama. “The environment really gave a theater vibe with the way everything was set up.   “We want to make sure we keep a festive vibe arou

Nothing is scarier than art students. . . when they make a haunted house. That's exactly what the Department of Art and Design did last week.  Students were beckoned into a transformed version of Malone Hall, where 35 student volunteers laid in wait to scare them.    Assistant Administrator of Art and Design Malory Magrath said the haunted house was entirely student-led.  “We let everybody vote on the ideas we came up with,” Magrath said. “We let everyone share any ideas they

There is no place like home, especially when you get to watch a classic movie on your couch. This is my feeling when I get to watch the cinematic classic, “The Wizard of Oz.”  “The Wizard of Oz” holds a special place in my heart, as my family and I watch it every year in October to start the fall season. It is one of the few classic movies that still holds up in the modern age.  This film, made in 1939, is one of the first movies to use technicolor. It starts in blac and whit

Troy University’s Army and Air Force ROTC held its annual haunted house from Oct. 22-23 for the first time in its new location at 400 Pell Ave. The haunted house was open to all, and the entry fee was $3 prepaid and $5 at the door.  The theme of this year’s haunted house, put together by ROTC students and staff, was Insane Asylum. The haunted house wasfully funded and created by ROTC students.   Giulianna Rivero, a junior biomedical sciences major from Miami, Florida, who att

Aries: Always wanting to be the center of attention, you’re itching to lead the parade and yelling, “Follow me down the yellow brick road!”  Taurus: You have a lineup of Homecoming outfits ready for the whole week. You WILL be slaying every day.   Gemini: While you can’t decide on the perfect game day fit, you do know you will be cheering the loudest in the stands. Everyone will see your team spirit.   Cancer: You’re crying happy tears and soaking in the nostalgia of everythi

He was running late, which everyone knows is absolutely the worst way to start a new job. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’drun out of tuna, so he had to pack a chicken sandwich for lunch, and he’d never been fond of land-faring lunches. Still, Kevin wanted to give the best first impression possible.   After all, not everyone with his skillset was fortunate enough to find a job like this – a university town, retirement plan, full healthcare – and he was finally putting that d

As part of Homecoming each year, Troy University chooses notable alumni for their Alumni of the Year awards which celebrates its recipients.  The awards will be presented during the Homecoming football game at halftime with an on-field presentation.    This year’s Alumni of the Year awards will be presented to Boyd Busby, Forrest Latta, Steve Timberlake and Randal Ward.   “It is truly an honor to recognize these members of the Troy family as a part of our Homecoming celebrati

Behind every university event, performance or athletic event, there’s a photographer to document it. Students may be familiar with Troy University’s photographer, Joey Meredith, but they don’t know the full story.  Meredith is a Troy, Alabama, native who has been taking photos for the university for 13 years. Before working for the university, Meredith worked for Troy Public Radio, The Troy Messenger and the Montgomery Advertiser.   While at the two newspapers, he began work

Driving drunk on campus is not condoned by the Troy University Police Department, but last Wednesday, TUPD officers encouraged students to drive while impaired in a controlled environment.  At the event, called Drive if You Dare, students wore goggles that simulated increasingly higher levels of drunkenness. They were then tasked with driving a golf cart around a set of cones, trying their best not to hit any.   “The cones were pretty spaced out, but when  you’re seeing doubl

Handmade floats, which called for hours and hours of time and dedication from fraternity and sorority members, lined the Hawkins parking lot last Sunday as judges reached verdicts on the winners of this year’s Homecoming float competition.    Before the annual Homecoming parade in Downtown Troy, the floats made by the university’s fraternities and sororities are entered into a competition as part of a week of Homecoming traditions. Floats decorated following this year’s theme

There are some Halloween song staples that are constantly played during October. Songs such as “The Monster Mash” and “Ghostbusters” get their time in the spotlight, but there are also some spooky songs that are overlooked throughout the season.  One of the songs that I feel is overlooked in the Halloween music canon is the song “Halloween” by Sonic Youth. “Halloween” is a song that appeared initially as a bonus track on the CD edition of the band’s third album, “Bad Moon Ris

Halloween is a holiday celebrated in multiple countries around the world, with each of them putting a different spin on tradition and relevance. America is no exception to that rule, with Halloween being one of the most celebrated holidays in the country.   The classical American Halloween includes activities such as pumpkin painting and carving, watching scary movies, visiting haunted houses, dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating. Many of these staples have evolved o