by Xochitl Campos
Daily Lobo
Maralyn Beck, UNM's 2005 Homecoming Queen, had a rough campaign.
Her Homecoming advertisements written in chalk on sidewalks around campus were vandalized earlier in the week with offensive comments written in orange spray paint next to them.
"It was really saddening, I don't even know how to describe it," Beck said. "There were tears shed, but I think that in the end it gave me thicker skin. And to see the support from everyone, even the people that I didn't know, that was amazing."
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Beck and 2005 Homecoming King Tyler Tixier were crowned at the Homecoming coronation on Saturday during halftime of the game against Brigham Young University.
Beck said following the discovery of the vandalism, she almost didn't go through with the rest of the election process.
But, she had to learn to shrug it off, she said.
"I've grown more in this past week than at any other time in my life," Beck said.
Beck said she was more nervous before finding out if she made Homecoming court on Friday than she was before the winners were announced. In fact, she wasn't nervous at all, she didn't even think she would win, she said.
"Being Queen didn't mean as much to me as being court did," Beck said.
When she heard her name, she had to think twice about it, she said.
She was surprised she won because she was the only candidate who is not in a sorority, she said.
Winning also meant more to her because of what happened during her campaign.
"Nothing could make me feel better from when I saw my name degraded. But I was able to come out of it," she said. "Nothing can make up for it, but this was definitely a bonus."
A billboard at University Stadium said the crowd at Saturday's Homecoming game was the fifth largest in UNM history.
Alumni from all over the country were visiting, and Homecoming court waited on the sidelines to see if their hard work and campaigning paid off.
Last year's Homecoming King Carlos Guillen stood by to pass the crown to 2005's King.
"It is such a great opportunity and I am really excited for these few guys to be able to experience what I experienced last year," Guillen said.
Guillen said the excitement circulating around the Homecoming festivities - especially the crowning - is generated by the people who attend the games.
Becky Arguelles, a member of Homecoming Court, said Homecoming is an amazing time for undergraduate students.
"It is a time for us to really bond with each other and bring a lot of school spirit. I think that is what makes college fun," she said.
Arguelles, a runner-up was not jarred by the results of the election.
"Just being on court is an honor," she said. "I was happy to get on court, and I had an amazing time."
Student Victor James said he was pleased to see the diversity among the Homecoming candidates.
"It was great," he said. "I liked it a lot. It wasn't just one group of people. I think that there were a bunch of different people being represented."
