A student organization that has won the Homecoming Team Competition seven years in a row said it can’t participate this year because its entry application was handwritten, not typed.

Instead, the co-ed business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi can only compete in a different bracket for disqualified teams, which cannot win the entire competition, said Alpha Kappa Psi president Alan Pereiras. Alpha Kappa Psi has never been disqualified before.

The co-ed business fraternity has been competing since Homecoming’s inception 12 years ago. After seven years at the top, the team took second place last year and was looking to reclaim first place,
Pereiras said.

Each year, the Homecoming Committee hosts a variety of competitions, in which teams compete in events like
Charit-a-Bull — where groups create USF-themed sculptures from canned goods — flag football and the parade for a crack at the Superbull XII award.

At the Captain’s meeting on Sept. 29, Alpha Kappa Psi was told that the team would not be allowed to compete because it did not turn in a typed roster with its application packet, Pereiras said. The team filled out the roster included in the application packet, but did not type it.

The packet, downloadable from the Homecoming Web site, lists this requirement. The participation agreement form, which must be signed by the organization, outlines that if the rules and guidelines are violated, the team will be disqualified.

Alecia Peacock, director of public relations for the Homecoming Steering Committee, said some teams did not turn in
completed forms. The Homecoming Committee
verified that Alpha Kappa Psi could not compete for points but was not permitted to release names of other teams disqualified for the same
reason.

“These teams are still
heavily encouraged to participate to display their ‘Bull Pride,'” Peacock said.

Alpha Kappa Psi turned in the forms early to someone working in the Homecoming office and was told that they looked complete,
Pereiras said.

The committee reviewed applications that were submitted early and contacted the teams if they were missing any parts, Peacock said.

“Several of these teams made corrections to their applications and returned them before the deadline,”
she said.

Pereiras said his team was not notified until 12 days after the deadline.

With a Knowledge-A-Bull team that has been practicing for several months, a flag football team ready to go and piles of canned food stacked up in his home for the Charit-A-Bull competition, Pereiras said he is disappointed with the way the situation was handled.

“We put on a competition for middle school kids and the class with the most cans would win a pizza party,” he said. “One class donated
600 cans.”

Pereiras said the organization still plans to participate for a fun, bonding experience.