Family Weekend entertains parents

This year's Family Weekend saw parents and families filling the byways of campus. Hosted by the Alumni Association, Family Weekend began early Friday morning and lasted until the kickoff of the Maryland football game Saturday.

Two thousand one-hundred and six students and family members attended the weekend's events, a rise from the 1508 who attended last year's Family Weekend.

"We had 592 total families attending from 39 states and the Cayman Islands. I think that [this year's larger freshman class] is one of the reasons why it increased, and last year's [program] was really early in mid-September. We also wanted to attract more upperclassmen parents, so we increased the programming on Friday to get them onto campus," said Amy Lancaster, head of Family Weekend and parent's program manager.

Along with parents of the current Tech students, 200 high school students and their parents came to participate in the weekend's activities.

Family Weekend provides an opportunity for students and their families to reconnect, while allowing the families to experience the atmosphere of a day at Tech. Throughout the day Friday, families were offered several events they could attend.

"We try to be educational and fun... [with] 15 different seminars throughout the day, plus tours to the [Campus Recreation Center] and the Library. [The parents] could pick and choose what they wanted to do. The really popular [seminar] this year was 'How to be Successful at Georgia Tech.'

"John Stein, [interim Dean of Students and director of Success Programs], was there with representatives from Freshman Experience, success programs and academic [advising]," Lancaster said.

"We attended both the international opportunities and Tech success seminars. We found them to be very informative and genuine," Norman Hill said, a parent attending Family Weekend.

Each individual college and school, from the College of Architecture to the College of Sciences, held their own receptions for parents and their students.

"The reception at [the College of Industrial and Systems Engineering] was great, and the professors seemed very practical. The faculty appeared focused on building a better world and gave the message that they will make you into a successful person. Though from the faculty to the students, one message was repeated about the university. 'It's hard,'" Steven Barton said, a parent who received his graduate degree from Tech in 1983.

With most of the day's activities located in Tech Square, Lancaster said she wanted to bring the families back on to the campus and have activities where students and parents could participate together.

"As far as programming, Friday evening was changed up from last year. We had the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater with DramaTech, and that was the first event to sell out this year. We also had an outdoor festival by the student center and a dinner by the Campanile, which we had 400 people [attend]," Lancaster said.

Family Weekend also included the participation by many student groups. Student Ambassadors were present at every event. The Glee Club sang at the evening dinner and the entire marching band came to entertain.

"It was a little sigh of relief to see my son again. We haven't seen him since we dropped him off. It's amazing to see his growth and also that he still looked clean cut," Debby Evans said, a parent at the dinner.

"My expectations were met. The college shows an effort to present a home away from home. My son also passed the first test of college by keeping a clean room," said Jay Scarlata, another parent attending the dinner.

Family Weekend continued into Saturday with a tailgate held two and a half hours before the game on the Tech Tower Lawn.

"We had over 1100 people at the tailgate, and it was one of our signature events. Along with the barbeque, there were games and airbrush painters for the families. The pep band and the cheerleaders also stopped by to give a mini performance. This wrapped up a weekend that was topped off with a great finish at the football game. Family Weekend turned out great. The weather was definitely a concern, but it was picture perfect," Lancaster said.