By Ebbie Davis, Photo Editor
A welcoming spirit filled Union University on-campus, Oct. 1, as the parents of Union students attended the annual Family Weekend hosted by Residence Life.
Parents were invited to join their students on-campus Friday; some attended class with their children, allowing them to understand the atmosphere of the classroom setting while also enjoying time with their college student.
Friday evening was ushered in with the Make-a-Wish Cookout, hosted by the women of Chi Omega, providing dinner and entertainment for the visiting families in an outdoor environment. Laughter filled the patio of the Bowld Student Commons as families visited with one another, while Buster the Bulldog mingled from table to table entertaining everyone in attendance.
“I enjoyed seeing my parents during Family Weekend, because this semester has been busy for me and I haven’t been able to talk to them very much,” said Brooks Brasfield, sophomore Christian studies major. “They didn’t get to come last year, and so having them here this year was great.”
Following dinner, families were encouraged to attend the Movie on the Lawn event hosted by the Student Activities Council. The movie of the night was “Tangled,” a Disney spin on Rapunzel. The movie was shown in the Watters Quad lawn. While enjoying time together and a treat or two from the snack bar, the night was full of laughter and family time.
A luncheon with Dr. David S. Dockery, Union University president, presenting his year-in-review speech, was held Saturday. Families gathered in the Carl Grant Events Center to hear his address.
Intramurals were played throughout the day and families lined the fields, watching their students play flag football. Saturday evening held the big event of the weekend, the All-Sing competition, hosted by Sigma Alpha Iota, women’s music fraternity at Union.
Sally Parks celebrated with her daughters, Libby Parks, senior nursing major, and Katy Parks, freshman nursing major, after watching the All-Sing competition. She described Family Weekend as being one of their family’s favorite times of the school year.
“The Parks family absolutely loves Family Weekend; we love coming up and seeing the girls,” Parks said. “We typically go to Target and Kroger and buy things for them that they should typically buy for themselves, but we buy it for them anyway. All-Sing is definitely the highlight of our whole weekend; we just love it, and it’s so much fun. We’re excited now because besides our two daughters here, our son Andrew will be here next year as a freshman.”
Families were encouraged to attend church with their children on Sunday and relax or enjoy Union’s campus the rest of the day.
“Family Weekend has been great; it’s a good opportunity for families to come and see what life at Union is really like,” said Courtney Clarke, residence life secretary. “We have a large number of families here, which we are very excited about. It’s just a good chance for the parents to meet their student’s roommates, as well as their roommates’ parents, which is always nice. It’s been a good weekend all-around.”
