To ask or not to ask? As Homecoming approaches, many students ask themselves this very question. Others wait around with their fingers crossed, hoping someone will ask them, but for most of them, a simple question is not enough, senior Emily Blust agrees. On the flip side, everyone is hoping to find someone who will actually say yes. This time of year, everyone feels the pressure, a point well made by senior Nick Schram. At times, the pressure proves too much for students and they opt not to ask anyone at all out of fear of how to ask.

He: Why can’t people just ask in a simple way?

She: If someone just asks without putting thought into it, it doesn’t make the other person feel special, and it increases the chance they will shut them down.

He: Shouldn’t the fact that he wants her as his date be enough to make her feel “special”? Roasted, aloe for the burns.

She: Just simply asking has no thought put into it- kinda like you in school. However, if he does something special to ask, like these nice homecoming proposal ideas, the girl getting asked knows he cares enough to do something unique.

He: How many times do you want to say special? Maybe making someone else feel good shouldn’t outweigh the fact that the person asking is going to have a lot of pressure on him trying to make it special and live up to expectations. It could even put pressure on the person getting asked, and could be really embarrassing for the person asking if they get rejected. Especially if there are people around watching like this proposal.

She: You make fun of me,  but you just said special twice so… Even if a student asks in a outgoing way, obviously they are friends in some way beforehand. If they don’t feel comfortable going in a romantic way, they can always go together just as friends and have a good time.

He: People are afraid of asking someone to Homecoming and then getting friend-zoned. A guy or girl who would be looking to go with someone as just a friend shouldn’t have to put a lot of time and effort into asking the person because they are just that – friends. And everyone knows there’s no true way out of the friend-zone.

She: If the person asks in a way that shows he put effort into it, then the one getting asked will most likely see that the person asking has genuine intentions. This will lead to possibly liking the person asking *wink wink* as more than just as a friend.

He: Although that could be true, why can’t the person asking  just make it special and simple? Ask with just some flowers in a very sincere way instead of going overboard and renting an airplane to write “Hoco?” in the sky. That seems like an unnecessary waste of time and money.   

She: Well I’m not saying that you have to get an airplane; however, a helicopter would be nice. Many people actually think that it’s okay to ask someone to Homecoming through text.

He: Why can’t they make it special through text? Although it wouldn’t be as genuine, that’s what emojis are for.   

She: Technology is beginning to run people’s lives. What happened to the days before cellphones? Students had to have the nerve to go up to someone they liked and ask them out in person with the knowledge that there could be rejection.  

He: Yeah, well in the days before cell phones, people didn’t rent a plane to ask people to Homecoming. They just walked up to them and asked them.

She: Yes, but they asked them out in person for every date.  Now Homecoming is the only time that people truly ask each other out in person, so it should be special. *mic drop*

He: Yes, I guess texting to ask someone to Homecoming isn’t a good idea. I guess a good compromise would probably be asking them with flowers in a cute way. It is simple but thoughtful and also not over the top.   

She: Yes, I agree – flowers are a nice thought with maybe even a cute poster. However, it does not have to be in public or a big announcement, just something simple and sweet.