Homecoming's hard worker

Like its theme indicated, the good times rolled through campus Friday evening. The Homecoming parade was filled with music, cars and trucks lined with balloons and people throwing candy. \nAnd in that mess of candy wrappers, popcorn and drum beats, the mission to find senior Shannon Hoffman, the Student Athletic Board Homecoming director, began. It started late Friday afternoon -- with the welcome appearance of the sun -- at the corner of Seventh and Rose Streets while the parade was getting organized. \nThe woman in charge of many of the week's Homecoming events was impossible to find amid the sea of fans, football players and alumni.\nThe workers in the red shirts with the big walkie-talkies were buzzing around trying to keep things in order, but none of them had seen Hoffman. Her roommates had no clue either. Finally, after an hour, some luck: She was said to be at the Sample Gates for the pinnacle of the parade. \nIt's 7 p.m. at the Sample Gates and the parade is wrapping up; Hoffman is at the end guiding in the floats and doing crowd control. The parade ended and the pep rally began with the band playing "The Simpsons" theme song and Hoffman, in the background, seemed pleased and proud of a job well done.\nThe past week has been busy for the Homecoming director. In fact, it has been nonstop.\n"I have spent lots of my time working on the Homecoming events that I have hardly been home," Hoffman said. "My roommates can testify to that because they have hardly seen me in the last two weeks."\nEarlier, Hoffman hustled around campus as the parade, marching down Third Street, began as a misshapen line of various student groups, local organizations and marching band members. \nBut with Hoffman and her fellow members of the SAB and Student Alumni Association pushing and prodding, the line straightened out -- like it always does. \n"Every year always begins with everyone out of line but it all pulls together in the end," said Eric Behrman, director of Alumni Clubs. \nHomecoming preparation began last Friday, and Hoffman was at the forefront of it all. \nHoffman, sporting red SAB attire, was in charge of three areas of the weeklong celebration -- Homecoming king and queen applicants, the pep rally, and helping coordinate and organize the alumni and student associations for the parade. \nHoffman has been involved with SAB since her freshman year. She wanted to become involved in campus activities so the self-described sports fan joined SAB. After an application and interview process, she was named Homecoming director last spring. \nHoffman said she has been preparing for Homecoming since last semester and during the summer. \nThis semester, she has been organizing, e-mailing and meeting with various people and groups to get Homecoming events off the ground. Because SAB is student-run, she and other students have put these events together and made them work. She spent long hours last week working out the details and making sure everything was in order. She felt one of her major achievements was the success of Homecoming king and queen because she was totally in charge of organization and making sure everything ran smoothly. \nMembers of the Homecoming committee praised Hoffman for her committment.\nShannon is great to work with and is well organized," said Brian McCarthy, a sophomore and Homecoming chairperson on the athletic board. "It's a big deal for her and she has put in a lot of time." \nHoffman expressed the importance to get off campus groups involved in Homecoming festivities, and the need to get a diverse number of participants in the parade. \n"The parade was very entertaining, funny and joyful, and I have never seen so many different kinds of people in a parade like this," said Gabriella Villani, a graduate student. \nAt the end of the night, the SAB Homecoming director felt "great relief" and was very happy and pleased with the outcome. For Hoffman, every minute was well spent.\n"I can probably make the most out of even one minute," Hoffman said, "because I don't waste time"