Homecoming football games and parades go hand-in-hand. Both are a time for individuals to show their school spirit. This year, the University of Minnesota’s Homecoming could be much different.

Since the Minnesota Twins and the Gophers football team share the Metrodome, the Gophers are forced to move their Homecoming football game from Saturday Oct. 12 to Thursday Oct. 10. This move should be taken graciously, as our contraction-threatened Minnesota Twins will be entering post-season playoffs for the first time since 1991. The one problem that stems from this switch is that the parade is not being moved with the football game.

The parade is typically scheduled for the Saturday morning of the football game, a time allotted for pre-game activities and celebration. Now that the game will be played two days earlier, the University should move the parade as well. The parade acts as a kick-off, not only for football fans, but also for the University in general. Students, staff, alumni and members of the community gather to celebrate their school and show their excitement for the upcoming academic year.

By moving the parade to Oct. 5, the Saturday before the football game, the University would be providing an experience that will have some actual meaning. If the parade stays at its originally scheduled time, the traditional event will be worthless, as almost all of the Homecoming activities will have already taken place. Students of the University are being forced to switch, and now the Homecoming coordinators should make the switch.