Winning a place on Eastern’s Homecoming Court is a numbers game-the online popular vote counts for 30 percent, 10 percent for candidate applications and the judges’ candidate interview counting for the 60 percent.

The “Royal Blue” coronation will take place today at 7 p.m. in the McAfee Gymnasium.

Eastern’s court is comprised of a king and queen, prince and princess, faculty king and queen and a little prince and princess:

King

Charles Jacques, a senior biology and French major, was the 2010 “Bets on Blue” Homecoming King and the third consecutive member of SAE to win king.

“I think it really helped that I got really involved and I cared about the campus and I wanted to make an impact,” Jacques said.

Jacques said his favorite event was the Homecoming football game.

“I actually met one of my good friends that day because she was messing around with the band kids,” Jacques said. “We got to interact with so many different people.”

Jarrod Scherle, a graduate student, was the second consecutive member of SAE to win homecoming king in 2009.

Dan Rolando began the winning streak in 2008.

Scherle said his interview went exactly how he wanted it to.

“I was really on my game that day,” Scherle said.

Scherle said the way he networked himself and the friends he had willing to support him is what he thinks set him apart.

Scherle also said his favorite event was the 2009 football game.

“The Homecoming Royalty got to met Tony Romo,” Scherle said. “I got a picture with him and got to shake his hand.”

Homecoming King is not just a one-day event and the obligations can interfere with other things so the winners should have enough time to make multiple event commitments for that week, Jacques said.

“The big part of being Homecoming king, queen, prince or princess is that you really have to be a great representative of the school,” Jacques said. “You are EIU.”

The Homecoming Court becomes the face of Eastern and its school spirit, Scherle said.

Scherle said the 2011 court should make sure that they do not let the title do to their heads.

“Make sure you live up to the standards of it, but don’t get crushed by the pressure of it because it’s a lot of fun, too,” Jacques said.

Queen

Jaleesha Maury, the 2010 Homecoming Queen, said she will never forget winning homecoming during her senior year.

“I felt like it was me leaving a trail for a lot of the girls in my sorority,” Maury said. “It was the most exciting week I had.”

Maury also said the diversity of the people at the bowling night and the vast amount of students she was able to interact with made bowling her favorite event.

Maury graduated in 2011 with a major in family and consumer sciences.

Even though Homecoming is during the middle of the fall semester it sets the tone of the rest of the year, Maury said.

“It is almost like an encouragement for the year and it makes the students excited for the school, excited about succeeding and gives them some time to have fun,” Maury said.

Just because the week of Homecoming ends does not mean the court’s job is done.

“Try to do as much as you can for the other students on campus and still be involved in school,” Maury said.

Prince

Aaron Wiessing, the 2009 “Back to Blue” Homecoming Prince, said winning prince was one of his most fulfilling moments.

SAE candidates have won Homecoming Prince two years in a row.

Wiessing, a senior management information systems major, was running as the chosen member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

“I came from a really small school-I wasn’t even on homecoming court in high school-so coming to college it was awesome to have that experience and meet the people I did,” Wiessing said.

Wiessing said the friendships he made with his fellow 2009 Homecoming Court winners are still currently existent.

“The princess who won that year, Abbye Lakin, and I are still really good friends,” Wiessing said. “I probably would have met her aside from that but that’s the reason we even talk today.”

Wiessing said the interview was the hardest part of the pre-coronation segments because the candidates did not know what the interview would be like.

“You didn’t really have way to prepare for it-it was set up that you just had to go into it with an open mind and answer honesty,” Wiessing said.

2010 Homecoming Prince Jonathan Boudreau, a junior sociology major, said he felt confident with his candidate interview.

“I was relaxed and told a few jokes,” Boudreau said.

Boudreau said he thinks his friends promoting him around campus really helped him.

Boudreau also had a Facebook group.

The easiest part was networking among students and getting the dates of the online election publicized, Wiessing said.

Wiessing said he did utilize Facebook to reach a broader spectrum along with 2009 Homecoming King Jarrod Scherle, another member of SAE.

“We publicized each other and publicized ourselves and tried to help out (Delta Delta Delta), who we were paired with that year,” Wiessing said.

Boudreau said his favorite event was the “Chuck Vegas” Family Fun Night, which had caricature artist and poker tables.

Wiessing is now his chapter’s pick for the 2011 Homecoming King.

Boudreau said the 2011 court should take the time to savor each moment.

“Enjoy it while it lasts because it goes by quickly,” Boudreau said.

Princess

Alicia Cook, a junior economics major, was crowned the “Bets on Blue” homecoming princess in 2010.

Cook said her natural charisma is what she thinks won her the title.

“I’m always smiling and happy and cheerful and making different friends,” Cook said. “I network naturally.”

Cook was the Black Student Union princess nominee and said she thinks her Facebook group increased the number of votes she had during Eastern’s online Homecoming election.

“A lot of people didn’t really plan on voting, but if they are already on the Internet then they can just go on the website and pick who they want,” Cook said.

Cook said members of her organization helped her prepare for candidate interviews by having a mock interview session.

“They wanted me to go in there confident and to have my thoughts together,” Cook said.

Cook said “Lucky Strikes” bowling night with the rest of the 2010 Homecoming Court was her favorite event she attended as princess.

“We kind of got close through all of those events and we are still friends today,” Cook said.

Cook said she hopes the 2011 Homecoming Princess enjoys her reign as much as she did.

“Rep your school and be yourself,” she said.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or ovogunbodede@eiu.edu.