Photo by Bill Green Hood College senior Jen Jones, 21, was named the school's Homecoming King during its second annual homecoming. Of the total 169 votes cast for king, Ms. Jones received 64, earning her the title, which was announced at the semiformal dance Feb. 18.

Jen Jones, 21, a Hood senior, said she didn't even know she was nominated until she saw her name on the ballot.

Of the total 169 votes cast for king, Ms. Jones received 64, earning her the title, which was announced at a semiformal dance Feb. 18.

Santo Provenzano, 21, who was also on the ballot for king, said, "My first thought when I heard she won was the obvious — she's a girl. Certain traditions are supposed to be a certain way."

Singleton Newman, 22, is a Hood senior who was nominated for queen. "She is not a man," Ms. Newman said. "It is a gender issue, and she is a woman."

Ms. Jones, who is openly gay, attempted last year to run for Homecoming Prince. Although she had the required number of petition signatures, the school's homecoming committee ruled against listing her name on the prince ballot.

This year's committee decided to abolish petitions for the nomination process.

Don Miller, Hood's director of student activities and orientation, oversees the student-run homecoming and was one of two faculty advisers for last year's homecoming committee of six students.

"This year's committee looked at the court process to make it a more collegiate model than it was last year," Mr. Miller said.

This year students were asked to nominate other students for the homecoming court.

Eight individuals — seven men and Ms. Jones — were nominated for king, and the top four names were put on the voting ballot.

Nominees were required to have represented Hood College well and gone above and beyond in their contributions to the school.

Ms. Jones has participated in volleyball, softball and basketball throughout her four years at Hood. She also serves as House Forum Chaiman, which requires her to meet with dorm presidents every week to discuss residential issues.

She is a member of the Student Government Association executive board and is president of Tolerance Education Acceptance, an organization that provides advocacy, support and outlets for lesbian, gay and bisexual students.

A lack of discussion

Cheryl Banks, a senior at Hood, was named Homecoming Queen this year and also served on last year's homecoming committee.

Of the committee's decision to keep Ms. Jones off the ballot for prince, Ms. Banks said, "We were trying to be inclusive of the male population and felt that because of this, we shouldn't allow a woman to run for the position."

This year's nomination ballots were sent out Feb. 8. The voting ballots were released the following Monday without being reviewed by the entire committee.

An unplanned meeting was held the night before the ballots came out, but only half the committee members were able to attend.

Senior Nicole Beall was on the homecoming committee this year and was in charge of last year's committee. She said the issue of gender and who could run for which title was never mentioned this year.

After last year's decision, she said some committee members assumed only males would be allowed on the king ballot and only females on the queen.

Sophomore Jovanni Mahonez, chairman of this year's committee, approached both Mr. Miller and Olivia White, dean of students, on her own before the voting ballots were sent out to tell them Ms. Jones' name was on the king ballot.

"The meeting was more of an FYI than for her asking our permission," said Mr. Miller. "It was my impression that the committee would have an open nomination process and the nominations with the most votes would be on the ballot."

"Because last year's committee had voted against it there was some vagueness about the issue this year," Ms. Mahonez said. "It is unfortunate that no one brought it up. I wish they would have come to me with the issue if there was an issue."

Growing pains

As seniors, both Ms. Jones and Ms. Banks are in the last graduating class that started at Hood before the college became fully coeducational.

Hood has allowed men to attend its undergraduate program as commuters since 1971. In October 2002, the school's board of trustees voted to allow men to reside on campus.

Though men have been on campus for two full years, only 28 men are in this year's graduating class of 260 students.

Hood College President Ron Volpe said he had received a few calls complaining about Ms. Jones being named Homecoming King.

"We were trying to get the males involved; we had three great candidates," said Ms. Beall. "This is a huge slap in their face to nominate them and have them lose to a female when we ask them to participate."

Mr. Miller said that all homecoming events will be reviewed, including the court aspect. "As part of an ongoing process, we will see if we need to make changes," Mr. Miller said. "We will look at what students want Hood's homecoming to be."

"Being that Jen won the whole thing is looked at as a joke," Mr. Provenzano said. "It discourages guys from wanting to take part in the future."

Yet, some people see this event as a positive indication of where society is heading.

"It is cool that Hood allows people to be themselves," Ms. Jones said. "If people didn't want me to be king, they wouldn't have nominated me and voted for me."

"For Hood to do this is fantastic," said Colette Roberts, president of the Howard County chapter of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a local support, education and advocacy organization. "In little pieces we cross these trans-gender borders. We want people to say, 'What's the big deal?'"