The university hosted its annual Family Weekend this past weekend from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30. There were a variety of events offered for students and their family members over the three days including open houses, luncheons and athletic events.
On Friday, Oct. 28, the university hosted a Parent Leadership Council Luncheon, which could be attended by invitation only. There were also open house options in various departments from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. including: Student Accessibility Support, the Department of Student Engagement, Academic Services and Hiatt Career Center. While some of these began earlier in the day, the official Welcome Reception began at 4 p.m., according to the university’s webpage. Parents could also elect to participate in the weekly trivia tradition of the university; the typical “Stein at 9” trivia night held on Thursdays was additionally held on Friday so that parents could also participate in this tradition.
The activities on Saturday, Oct. 29 began at 9 a.m. with Class Coffee, an opportunity for families of students from the same graduation year to connect. More open houses were offered on Saturday with Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations, the Department of Community Living (DCL) and the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC). The open houses encouraged parents to learn more about the departments and groups on campus and what they do. Among sporting events that parents could watch included the men’s and women’s soccer games against Washington University in St. Louis and the women’s rugby tournament.
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) sponsored and hosted both family bingo and a Halloween Extravaganza, according to the schedule of events. At the Halloween Extravaganza, students and their guardians could watch a Halloween movie and partake in pumpkin and cookie decorating, face painting, tarot reading, mini golf, carnival games and a costume contest, according to the event description.
Parents could also attend the Student Performance Showcase which highlighted performances from student groups and individuals on campus.
For the final day of Family Weekend, the university sponsored a Brandeis Legacy Families Celebration. The event was by invitation only for Brandeis alumni families. The Student Union also hosted a Pumpkin Fest on the Great Lawn. Families were invited to decorate and carve pumpkins as a way to connect with Student Union leadership, according to the decription. A pumpkin carving contest was held during the event and the winner was announced via their Instagram as Frank, a reimagination of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’s monster. The other finalists included a carving of a Kiwibot, a painting of Jack Skellington, a carved pumpkin puking out the pumpkin interior and a happy-looking pumpkin.
