By Sarah Carlson, Arts Editor

After watching her friend be blindfolded and kidnapped during last week’s Ko Jo Kai meeting, Kelci Young had only a matter of minutes before her friend’s captors came looking for her.

Young, senior integrated marketing and communication major from Franklin, Tenn., was in the middle of explaining instructions to her club for a pledging activity when she was whisked away to the Alumni Office where she, along with nine other senior women, learned they had been nominated for Homecoming Queen.

“I was really surprised,” Young said. “I was very honored and glad that I got to do it with Meg [Goggin, senior history major from Fort Worth].”

Young said she tried to call her mother to tell her the news, but she didn’t answer. She then tried calling her father, then her brother, but because they had just gotten out of church, their phones were turned off. After Young continued to frantically call, her mother walked out of an elder’s meeting to see what was wrong.

“I told her ‘Mom, you’re going to have to tell Dad to bring a suit to Homecoming,'” Young said, telling her about the nomination.

“She just started screaming; she was so excited.”

Young’s father will escort her during Homecoming’s Friday and Saturday Chapels, while her brother, Cole Young, class of 2004, will escort her at the Homecoming football game Saturday.

Chapel and the football game are two of many activities the Homecoming Queen nominees will participate in, part of a tradition that’s been around for many years, and Betsey Craig, coordinator of Queen’s Activities during Homecoming, can’t even remember when it began.

“It’s been around as long as anyone can remember, so it’s one that we keep,” Craig said. “People seem to enjoy it.”

Craig said this year, a more diverse group of women was nominated, with some not representing social clubs. Students can vote for one of the 10 nominees Wednesday through Friday online at www.acu.edu/queen.

Eight of the 10 Coming Home Court members will be back for Homecoming festivities, Craig said, including the Coming Home Queen Kendra (Sorrells) Vaughn, class of 1995. Vaughn was in Tri Kappa Gamma and Wildcat Kids.

Craig said whoever is crowned Queen will get to keep her crown, and the entire court will receive gifts to remember the occasion.

Young said she’s not worried about who will win, adding she didn’t think any of the women nominated really care. They’re all just happy to be nominated, she said.

Almost 400 students nominated the 10 women, and Craig said she hopes a lot of students will vote for a Queen next week.