In the race for king and queen, candidates need a kingdom of support if they want to win. 

Voting for homecoming court opened for all students Oct. 8 and ends Oct. 9 at noon. This year, there are 15 candidates — seven for king and eight for queen. Five of the candidates are running with social Greek life endorsements, three women and two men, according to Blue and Gold Society President Megan Schlegelmilch.

In the past five years, four of the kings and queens, 40 percent of all winners, have had Greek organizations as primary sponsors. All of the candidates and winners, however, have been involved in a major group on campus such as Pathfinders, band or athletics. An endorsement from a large organization like a fraternity or sorority is helpful. Their backing is not necessary, however, according to Ben Schultz, Blue and Gold Society vice president of traditions. 

“The homecoming king and queen are good examples of the composition of student body and include involvement in things like academic organizations, athletics, social organizations and Greek organizations,” Schultz said.

Compared to some other universities, Pitt’s homecoming candidates are varied. Virginia Tech has 11 out of 16, or 68 percent, of its candidates running this year with an endorsement from a Greek organization. Penn State has five out of 10 candidatess, 50 percent, involved in Greek life. Comparatively, 33 percent of candidates are running with Greek endorsements at Pitt this year.

The long-loved tradition of homecoming court is an opportunity for students from all over campus to run campaigns and make a mark on the community, Schlegelmilch said.

Senior Emily Anthony is running this year with an endorsement from Pitt Formula SAE.

Formula SAE is a club of 40 to 50 members, all engineering and business students, in which students design, build and race cars. Because Anthony is the president, she said she feels it is best to have the club as her primary sponsor.

For candidates without access to the large network that established organizations provide, campaigning online or in-person may be the most effective way to get their names and faces recognized, Anthony said.

After talking with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers president, Anthony also decided to seek out a secondary sponsorship, so she approached Phi Sigma Rho, the engineering sorority. Phi Sigma Rho’s endorsement is limited to engineering students.

“I’ll admit it was a bit of an afterthought. I didn’t consider them because I’m not involved with Greek life, but I’m excited,” Anthony said. “I’m happy to represent women engineers.”

Anthony said she feels confident that running an effective social media campaign will be sufficient for getting her voted into court.

“You just kind of have to flex your connections,” Anthony said.

Erin Long, a senior neuroscience major, is running for homecoming queen with Pitt Marching Band as her primary sponsor. As one of the largest groups on campus, marching band comes with a base of voters that Greek life may not offer.

“I feel like it’s an equal playing field no matter what because everyone can only vote for one candidate, so it tends to split the Greek community a little bit,” Long said.

Many candidates opt for multiple endorsements from secondary sponsors, such as senior communication major Michael Hizny. Although his primary sponsor is Pitt Cheer and Dance, he has multiple Greek organizations as secondary sponsorships. Despite this connection, Hizny doesn’t think it gives him a great advantage.

“Sponsors play a little bit [into the voting], but in the the end, it comes down to what you as an individual represent, more so than an organization attached with your name,” Hizny said.