At Rutgers-Newark Homecoming, An Epic Celebration of Raider Spirit and Swagger

Rutgers-Newark’s first homecoming in more than a decade drew a vibrant crowd of students, community members and alumni–from the Class of ‘68 through the Class of ‘25– at an event that celebrated school spirit and swagger.

“We are the finest. We do great things and we need to make sure the world knows it. We need to have swagger in our walk,’’’ said Chancellor Tonya Smith-Jackson.

“Rutgers-Newark is not just a campus. It’s not just a university. It’s a movement,’’ she declared before leading the crowd in a cheer.

“When I say RU, you say Raiders,’’ she shouted, holding her microphone out for the audience to yell back in unison.

The day drew a crowd of nearly 1,000, including a mix of alumni, students, RU-N community members and city residents. It featured step and stroll performances by Rutgers-Newark sororities and fraternities, a show of spirit by the Scarlet Raiders cheer team, campus tours, and family activities like face painting, mini-golf, and a petting zoo. An array of food trucks were on hand, in addition to performances by rappers Rowdy Rebel and Kaliii.

Homecoming culminated with a 5-1 win for the Scarlet Raiders Men’s Soccer team against New Jersey City University’s Gothic Knights.

The event was especially meaningful for hundreds of alumni who showed up and received special RU scarves, along with other swag. While some lived nearby and have returned often over the years, and others were faculty or staff whose daily lives are intertwined with the school, others hadn’t been on campus in decades. But they were happy to return.

Linda Hart (Class of ‘77) was a Sociology major who last came to campus 15 years ago. Like many other alumni who attended the event, she was impressed.

“Rutgers-Newark has grown tremendously,’’ said Hart, a Livngston resident. “The additions on campus are very nice and the people are so kind and warm.’’

Richard Roper, one of the oldest alums at homecoming, raised his hand when Smith-Jackson called out alumni decade by decade, from the 1960s to the present.

Roper, who graduated in 1968, was co-founder of the Black Organization of Students (BOS), which occupied Conklin Hall in 1969 to protest the lack of minority students, faculty, and programs. That year, he was working for the state  Department of Higher Education and served as a liaison to the students.

This protest is credited with paving the way for Rutgers-Newark to become one of the most diverse universities in the nation. “I wanted to come here today and show my support,’’ said Roper.

He acknowledged the progress that took place under former Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s leadership and was excited to see what Smith-Jackson, who arrived in August, would accomplish. “I wanted to show her I appreciate her plans to elevate the school,’’ he said.

Alumna Patricia Pencil (Class of ‘00) , who lives in Delaware, hadn’t returned in years praised the new developments at RU-N, including the renovation of Conklin Hall, which now houses a state-of the-art One Stop Student Services Center. She also expressed her appreciation for the education she received.

“It feels good to be back in this environment. I love my school and I love my degree,’’ said Pencil, who earned her undergraduate degree at RU-N and a masters degree from the School of Social Work.

RaJade Berry-James, who became the first Black student to earn a doctorate degree from the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) in 1999, praised Rutgers-Newark for providing access to opportunity.

Berry-James, now Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, attended homecoming with her sister Richeleen Dashield, also an alumna, who graduated in 1991.

“Newark is resilient and I can see parallels between the way the city has grown, and the growth of the school,’’ said Dashield, now a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at New York University.

Shane Fuller (Class of ‘16) also noticed some differences. “The changes to Dana Library look good. I see there are more Black Greek organizations than there were before. I want to see how it continues to evolve,'' he said.

Smith-Jackson promised the evolution would continue and touted the school’s diversity and its ranking as #5 in the nation for social mobility and #36 among 275 public universities nationwide, numbers that climb higher each year. 

“We have the academic part right and we have the anchor institution part right because we do community-engaged partnerships while we are learning. And this city has a strong history of helping people who don’t have access get access,’’ she said. "We are in this city for a reason.'' 

Smith-Jackson vowed that the homecoming tradition would stay strong, especially since RU-N would be turning 80 next year. “We went more than ten years without one and that’s never going to happen again,'' she said.