'Quality time'
Parents and Family Weekend 'strengthens' campus community
9:31 a.m., Oct. 15, 2014--University of Delaware parents and families visited their students Friday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 12, during the annual Parents and Family Weekend celebration.
As in past years, the 2014 Parents and Family Weekend proved to be a huge success, according to Dawn Thompson, vice president for student life, who said the weekend provides important opportunities for bonding around a host of campus events.
Campus Stories
From graduates, faculty
Doctoral hooding
The weekend is “a fantastic way for students and their families to spend quality time together enjoying activities, exploring campus and learning about all that the University of Delaware has to offer,” Thompson said.
She added that bringing families together on campus “helps to strengthen our community and create lasting memories.”
Football and family fun
Saturday featured a host of activities, including the Family Fest Tailgate held at the Bob Carpenter Center prior to the late afternoon football kickoff against conference rival Elon (North Carolina) University.
The tailgate featured a buffet and a time for students and families to relax prior to the game, which the 4-2 Blue Hens won 34-24 before a season-high crowd of 19,476.
Campus tours and open houses
An Inside UD: Residence Life and Housing Open House was offered on Saturday.
The open house, which provided an opportunity to meet Residence Life and Housing staff, included virtual tours of upper-division residence halls that enabled students and families to look at campus living options.
“Students have started thinking about housing for next year,” said Kathleen Kerr, executive director of Residence Life and Housing. “The timing is a good opportunity, with families in town, to answer questions students might have about their housing options.”
Also on Saturday, students and families were able to visit UD’s newly renovated student-run Vita Nova restaurant in the Trabant University Center, the Lerner Trading Center in Purnell Hall, the Venture Development Center on Delaware Avenue and the Athletic Training Teaching Laboratory in the Fred Rust Ice Arena.
There also were receptions sponsored by the Institute for Global Studies for Delaware Diplomats and by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
The Barnes and Noble University of Delaware Bookstore offered one of its popular Ice Cream and Authors programs.
Entertainment
Festivities began Friday evening with a sold-out performance by comedian and actor Joel McHale at the Bob Carpenter Center.
McHale is the star of the television show Community, about the lives of students at the fictional Greendale Community College, and also host of The Soup.
Photos by Duane Perry and Lane McLaughlin