By Cody Heintz Business Manager

This fall festival was the second time that the Homecoming King and Queen was decided by an in-person vote. Prior to 2011, the king and queen were decided by a vote held via blackboard. The new way of picking queen king and queen is done through the Fall Festival Showcase, which is held at Adams Playhouse. At the showcase the court is able to answer questions and put together an act in hopes to garner votes.

The process for picking the court is still same as before as prospective kings and queens still have to submit an application to OSLA. And, OSLA then narrows it down until there are five finalists for both king and queen.

When asked about the switch, OSLA Director Sarah Young stated “ We saw the King and Queen court as an opportunity for senior students to showcase their leadership on campus in a more visible way. The showcase is becoming another great Hofstra tradition! Members of the court over the last two years have all given very positive feedback about their experience.” as the major reason why the vote switched from being on-line to in-person. Young also added that “In order to make the court more visible and engaging with the student body the decision was made to move from an on line portal vote to an in person showcase vote.”

Response to the new system has been positive as 2012 Fall Festival Queen Liz Weeden stated “I think the showcase is great because it is much more personal than the old ways of online voting.” Weeden also went on to say, “It gives the audience a chance to get to know the contestants. Often times people go in thinking they’ll vote for one person, but come out circling someone else’s name.”