Glue and tissue paper bond Greektown
This year's decoration theme is childhood stories.
Published Oct. 23, 2009
Tissue paper, marker, glue and stamina combine to create the unique Homecoming tradition of pomping.
Members of Greek Life crowd into the basements of various houses and spend -- sometimes up to 30 personal hours -- gluing tissue paper to pomp boards.
Pomping is part of the decorative aspect of this week's Homecoming festivities and competition. Along with the banners adorning residence halls and the houses of Greektown and the floats to be unveiled Saturday morning, pomp boards, or house decorations, will be displayed in front of the Greektown houses beginning Friday morning.
This year's theme is childhood stories. Each Homecoming group, comprised of two or three sororities and fraternities, has its own story to depict in its house decorations and talent performance, which took place on throughout the week.
Many chapters require their pledges and new members to do a certain number of hours of pomping per week. During Marathon Week, many members spend most of each day pomping, preparing props for skit, working on floats and participating in other Homecoming preparations.
Although many chapter members also pomp, the bulk of the work is left for new members.
Pomping is not required for campus decorations, which make up 14 percent of a team's overall Homecoming score, but it is a MU tradition.
"The house decs are a big thing for the community of Columbia," sophomore pomp head Brandon Hochstedler said. "A lot of families come through Greektown to see the decs and the skits we have displayed. It's a huge tradition and fun time with all the festivities."
The act of pomping involves taking strips of tissue paper, wrapping them around a marker or pencil, dipping a flattened end in glue and sticking it to large wooden boards. The effect is similar to a mosaic, creating a picture that depicts the theme of Homecoming. If done improperly, there are members whose job is to scrape off the mistakes and tell the pompers to start over. The pomp heads are sometimes referred to as pomp Nazis and pomp princesses.
"Pomping is such a unique aspect of our Homecoming," freshman Joanie Jockel said. "I have friends that are involved with Greek Life in schools in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, and pomping isn't something that they do. It's neat how it's something so unique to us."
In recent years, the pomp board maximum has been moved from 35 to 16 boards and only 75 percent of the decorations can be traditional pomp, as an effort to become more sustainable with decorations. Pomping is no longer allowed on floats, either, as a way to conserve time and resources.
"A lot of people have negative attitudes about it and complain of the time wasted and the tedious work," Jockel said. "They feel like they could be using their time more efficiently. But it's such a huge tradition here, that even if people gripe about it, it is an incredible feeling in the end to see how amazing they look.
Jockel said even if people complain having to go pomp, they have a great time once they are there.
"I have such a big pledge class, pomping presents a way for me to get know a lot of the other girls," Jockel said. "It's a great bonding experience."
This sentiment seems to be shared by many who work on the pomp boards.
"Pomping creates a bonding experience between sororities and fraternities, and a great way for them to mesh," freshman Cody Reece said. "I have met so many people just hanging out in the basement and pomping. It's definitely something I will never forget."
The pomp boards will be taken out of the basements at midnight Friday, and the finishing touches will be put on them before the public begins to view them in the morning. Then, the weeks of work will finally pay off for some.
"Pomping is what you make of it," freshman Nick Berra said. "If you go into it with a positive attitude, you have fun, meet new people and bond with your brothers and sisters. And it's worth it to be part of the tradition."
Decorations will be displayed in various places around Greektown starting Friday, with official tours from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.