Parents and Family Weekend 2007 begins today, with approximately 1,000 families registered to attend. That number matches the participation of past years, according to Ginger Ambler, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.
p. “More than just seeing their sons and daughters, the weekend is an opportunity [for parents] to live the William and Mary experience,” Ambler said. “They meet their child’s roommates and friends and get a flavor of campus life at [the College].”
p. Patrick Donaldson ’08, who coordinated the student volunteers for the weekend with co-chair Laura Sauvain ’09, echoed the same sentiments.
p. “Parents want to be a part of their students’ lives. This weekend offers a two-day look into everything that [the College] has to offer.”
p. The history of the College will be displayed through lantern tours of ancient campus, starting at the Wren courtyard and lasting from 9:15 to 10:15 p.m. Friday. Also, an open house at the student house in Colonial Williamsburg is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.
p. “It has been a pleasure to have a place off campus this final year at [the College],” Dean Edwards ’08, one of two students living in the home this year, said. “The location is very beautiful and house itself is fairly comfortable.”
p. With respect to how he feels about opening his “dorm” to a sea of parents, Edwards described his philosophy as, “Go right ahead, come on in.”
p. Saturday morning, members of the faculty will give lectures covering a range of intellectual subjects in the panel series. In addition, the seventh annual Homerathon, a marathon reading of epic poetry, will take place in the Crim Dell Amphitheater Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., representing the College’s intellectual side.
p. In the name of community service, families are invited to register and participate in the 5K “Marrow-thon” Sunday morning. All proceeds will benefit the Alan Bukzin Memorial Bone Marrow Drive.
p. “The Drive’s ultimate goal is to register more than 1,500 people in the National Marrow Donor Program,” Shannon More ’10, member of the steering committee said. “But in order to register as many students as possible and save lives, we host fundraising events like the 5K to cover the cost of registration.”
p. The Family Weekend Concert, featuring the Women’s Chorus, William and Mary Choir and Wind Symphony and Orchestra, will take place in William and Mary Hall at 8:00 p.m. Friday. At the same time and location Saturday, all of the College’s a cappella groups will combine their talents for the “William and Mary Sings!” concert.
p. Finally, student athletes will be showcasing their talents. The women’s soccer team takes on Drexel University Friday at 7:00 p.m. and University of Delaware Sunday afternoon, while Tribe football, hoping to maintain an undefeated record against the Tigers, faces Towson University in Zable Stadium Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
p. Although tickets for the game are still available, sales indicate a high potential for reaching the sell-out mark of 12,259 according to Spencer Milne, the director of Ticket Operations. “The Family Weekend game has turned into one of the better-selling games because of all the parents that come in,” Milne said.
p. Student volunteers have become vital to the overall success of Family Weekend. According to Ambler, interest in volunteering increased this year as the Office of Student Affairs saw “an overwhelming response from students wanting to welcome families.”
p. Donaldson described the various responsibilities of the students that he and Sauvain assembled. “There will be 98 student volunteers, participating in roles such as parent registration greeters, student ambassadors at faculty/parent receptions, lantern tour guides, ushers at the William & Mary Sings! concert, and Lecture Series introductory speakers for our participating professors.”
p. “The students that volunteer for Parents Weekend each year take a lot of pride in the campus community here at William and Mary, and want to show off all that we have got to offer,” Donaldson said.
p. A full schedule of events can be picked up at check-in Friday and Saturday and is also available on the Family Weekend website.
