The issue: Alumni will return to Western’s campus this weekend to participate in Homecoming activities.

Our view: While they’re here, the alumni should share any concerns they have with administrators about the state of Western’s football and tailgating situation.

Western’s lack of success on the football field this season has had several consequences.

A lack of respect from other teams and fan outcry for coaching changes are just a couple of examples of what happens when a team goes winless this late in the season.

Perhaps a more saddening effect is one that’s become almost palpable leading up to this weekend’s Homecoming game — fans just aren’t excited.

Despite its place as a beloved fall tradition at every university, Homecoming has lost some of its appeal at Western, following the team’s shortcomings on the field.

Those involved with Homecoming activities might not feel the change, but the majority of students checked out of football mode once the new tailgating rules were implemented.

For all the growth and good aspects of the university, the tailgating scene and the football game is the snapshot alumni will take away from this weekend.

That begs the question of how their impression of Western will change after seeing the diminished nature of both those areas compared to previous years.

Students have made their opinions known to administrators by pulling their support for the football team and abandoning their tailgating routines.

Now it’s the alumni’s turn to speak up.

Considering the donations that Western enjoys from its alumni, administrators would be wise to pay attention to what’s being said this weekend.

Failing to keep the alumni happy, especially during the current economic climate, would undoubtedly slow the rate of growth Western has enjoyed the past decade.

Considering the spike in hotel reservations for this weekend, Western should expect plenty of loyal alumni to return for the Homecoming celebration.

The Herald hopes those who return won’t refrain from making their concerns known.

After all, who better to help guide the future of Western than those who know where we’ve been?

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Herald’s 11-member editorial board.

With thousands of alumni back on campus to celebrate Homecoming, Western could reap the financial benefits.

Homecoming isn’t designed as a fundraising tool, but the “feel-good” atmosphere on campus often leads to more donations for Western, said Tom Hiles, vice president for Institutional Advancement.

“The main emphasis is welcoming alumni back to campus,” Hiles said. “… The outgrowth of that is private support.”

Between Homecoming and donors calculating their tax decisions, fall is typically the biggest time of the year for fundraising, said Donald Smith, assistant vice president for the Alumni Association.

Also, the Topper Talk program takes place in the fall, Smith said.

During Topper Talk, students call alumni and potential donors, asking for donations.

Alumna Karen Matchus and her husband, David, recently announced a $500,000 estate commitment for scholarships, according to a Western press release.

Karen Matchus, who majored in education while at Western, said in the press release that she and her husband decided to fund a scholarship 10 years ago as a way to show gratitude for the scholarships she received in college.

With the help of such gifts, Western has raised $151.6 million in its $200-million New Century of Spirit campaign, which ends on June 30, 2012, according to the release.

Hiles said in the Board of Regents meeting on Oct. 30 that it’s “a real tribute to the momentum of the campaign” that such progress can be made during tough economic times.

Homecoming is a busy time for Western alumni, Smith said.

Between reunions, luncheons, dinners, ceremonies and parades, there’s something going on nearly every day of Homecoming Week, many of which cater to alumni.

Western’s Homecoming has changed quite a bit in the past 50 years, Hiles said.

“There was a time … when there was a Homecoming dance and a few events, and everyone came,” he said.

He compared Homecoming now to a movie theatre: one venue with a lot of different choices.

“There are literally dozens of events that capture that connection that people feel,” Hiles said.

Without events like Homecoming, Western could become “out of sight, out of mind” for alumni, he said.

During Homecoming week, Western’s guests are treated to a parade, tailgating, a pep rally and more.

At these events are Spirit Masters trying to make alumni and guests feel at home?

Spirit Masters are ambassadors of Western and serve to assist the administration, alumni and community at functions on and off campus, according to the Spirit Masters Web site.

Their role for Homecoming week includes making all guests feel welcomed and assisting them with directions, said Spirit Master Sara Puckett, a senior from Winchester.

While the Spirit Masters stay busy throughout the year, Homecoming is an exceptionally busy week, she said.

Other events the Spirit Masters attend include luncheons and reunions.

Spirit Masters are trained early in the year to ensure all campus guests feel welcomed, Puckett said. Not much preparation goes into Homecoming week besides reviewing information on honored guests attending the luncheons and dinners, she said.

One of the main Homecoming events is the luncheon where alumni who have accomplished great things are inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni, said Scottsville senior John-Mark Francis, who’s also a Spirit Master.

Their duty at the luncheon is to greet alumni as they come in and make them feel at home, he said.

In addition to attending such events, Spirit Masters give tours to alumni and prospective students, said Bowling Green senior Monique Braun, who’s a Spirit Master.

“Homecoming is a celebration of the spirit of Western, and it is an exciting time for us to be able to participate in the week,” she said. “As the student ambassadors of Western, fulfilling our obligations to this community requires dedication, and we proudly work as a team to serve our university.”

Bowling Green becomes a home for some students while they are at Western.

Some alumni reminisced about places they frequented as students.

• Courtney Mims, a 2008 graduate who lives in Memphis, Tenn., said the Great American Doughnut Shop, at 901 U.S. 31W, is her favorite place to visit when she comes to Bowling Green.

While at Western, she frequented GADS during sleepless nights, she said. There she and her friends contemplated how they could finance adventurous road trips on the limited funds of a college student.

Mims said she hasn’t forgotten the GADS employees.

“I feel that they never sleep,” she said. “There are always the same people there, day or night.”

• Elizabethtown resident Jennifer Underwood, who graduated in 1997, said Mariah’s, at 801 State St., is her favorite place to visit because she thinks it has the best food in town.

“It really doesn’t feel like I’ve been to Bowling Green unless I go,” she said.

She said she doesn’t always order the same thing at Mariah’s, but her favorite is the fried mushroom appetizer.

• Nashville resident Steve Hopper, who graduated in 2005, said he thinks Mariah’s welcomes everyone from bankers and lawyers to average college students.

“The staff and homey feel at Mariah’s sticks out to me,” he said.

Hopper also has fond memories of Froggy’s, at 1265 College St. He said Froggy’s has evolved a lot over the years. It used to be called Baker Boys.

“I kind of grew up with it,” he said. “It’s the quintessential campus pub.”

• Ameerah Cetawayo, who graduated in 2005 and now lives in Albany, N.Y., said she loves Chaney’s Dairy Barn, at 9191 Nashville Road.

She said she sometimes buys it for her New York friends and her family who live in Louisville.

Cetawayo said Chaney’s Dairy Barn became her favorite place in Bowling Green during her senior year at Western. Then, as a business reporter for the Bowling Green Daily News, the owners became some of her favorite people to interview.

“Chaney’s is an awesome force of tasty food and Kentucky Proud products,” Cetawayo said.

• Owensboro resident Laura Mathis, a 1985 graduate, said she likes to look over the city of Bowling Green from Van Meter Hall on campus.

“From up there, usually around homecoming time, it is beautiful to look out over the city, “ Mathis said. “I feel so comfortable up there.”