It's all about the convertible ride. And then some.

For about 50 years, Penn State has continued the tradition of naming a figurehead to represent the student body during Penn State's annual Homecoming celebration.

The tradition of a woman being named queen began at Penn State in the 1950s, with a man being elected king in the 1980s, Stephanie Henson, Homecoming King and Queen overall chair, said.

Homecoming Overall chair Andrea McDonald said the roles of King and Queen are mostly to represent Penn State values. " ... Their role is more symbolic or representative of the Penn State student body as a whole," she said.

Homecoming adviser Jared Brown said any full-time student could become part of Homecoming Court after a nomination and application process.

He said applicants are judged anonymously using a system that takes into account their extracurricular activities and their responses to the essay questions.

Homecoming Court member Jason Thompson said he was surprised by the intensity of the application process.

"There were three or four essay questions and a résumé portion," he said.

Thompson said he was extremely surprised when a friend nominated him for the Homecoming Court.

"I didn't know I was nominated until a friend let it slip out over the summer," he said.

Henson said there was an increase in applications from last year to this year.

"I received about 70 applications, up from last year when we received about 40," Henson said.

Brown said because there were so many well-qualified candidates, the number of nominees increased from eight to 10, with five nominees for Queen and five for King.

Brown said a major goal this year was to involve the Homecoming Court in more of the week's activities.

Henson said another goal this year was to get students to know the candidates better so they will be encouraged to vote for King and Queen.

"Last year there were about 4,000 voters and this year we're hoping to get more," she said.

McDonald said this year there would be a video recording of homecoming events and the Homecoming Court.

"There will be three people acting as videographers," she said. "They're going to be at the events taking shots of people."

Brown said that in the future, there might be a more structured campaign process for the Homecoming Court.

"Our students are so humble that they don't feel comfortable doing it," he said.

Homecoming Court member Seth Moser said he felt that humility was an important trait for the Homecoming Court, so he, personally, did not want to campaign for votes.

"I'm a little put off by the whole campaigning thing," he said.

Homecoming Court member Bridget Daly said she felt the decision to campaign was an individual choice.

"Personally, I think it's an extreme honor to be on the court," she said "Campaigning is up to you."

She also said she feels that it is important for Homecoming Court members to get out and talk to the students, especially freshmen.

"We can make the atmosphere around Homecoming more festive," she said.

Homecoming Court member Alexis McCune said the Homecoming Court was involved in the first Homecoming Day of Service Oct. 10.

"This is the first year they've done it ... and it was a great experience," she said.

Homecoming Court member Mariel Gniewoz said she felt that the Court was very involved in the event.

"The Overall committee has made a big attempt to get us involved rather than just being spectators," she said.

Online voting at homecoming.psu.edu started at 8 a.m. Monday at University Park and Commonwealth Campuses, and will continue until noon Friday.