Friday, Saturday and Sunday marked AU's annual Family Weekend, which allowed students and their friends and family members to spend time together on campus. The weekend was sponsored by New Student Programs and the Office of Campus Life.
The weekend gave guests a chance to experience AU life. To that end, lunch in TDR was offered on Friday for a special rate of $7, and there were open classes Friday afternoon so parents could sit in and experience AU faculty. For the main event, former senator and astronaut John Glenn spoke in Bender Arena Saturday night.
"I think Family Weekend went really well. ... I had the opportunity to meet lots of AU families [and] I had a lot of fun," said Polson Kanneth, president of the Student Confederation. "AU did an awesome job putting the weekend together. ... From the SC perspective, John Glenn was amazing."
Glenn, the first astronaut to orbit the Earth and Democratic senator of 24 years. spoke Saturday to a near-capacity crowd in Bender Arena.
Bobby Morgan, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, attended the event with his parents.
"We saw John Glenn and his speech was very interesting," Morgan said. "Overall, I had a great time."
Family Weekend also included tours and special service at TDR.
On Saturday morning, deans and faculty from each of AU's five schools sat down for breakfast with students and guests. Later on Saturday, some students and guests attended hard-hat tours of the Katzen Arts Center, which is scheduled to open at the end of the spring 2005 semester. Bus tours of D.C. ran throughout the day, giving students and their families the opportunity to see the city's landmarks.
Saturday afternoon also marked the annual Family Weekend Service Project, an event sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, the community service fraternity on campus as well as the Community Service Center. Some AU students and families spent the afternoon at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, a center that promotes cooperation through social events, arts classes, support groups, and seminars. Students and families helped to finish renovations in a house that is set to open at the end of the month.
Family Weekend concluded Sunday morning with a sparkling cider brunch with food provided by Bon Appetit, AU's on-campus dining service. Omelets, fruits, and other foods, as well as local Virginia apple cider were served.
Mark Stern, president of the Class of 2007, said he feels that the Family Weekend activities were an excellent way for students to interact with their friends' families.
"My parents wanted to engage in all of the activities of Family Weekend ... We especially enjoyed John Glenn," Stern said. "My sister lives in D.C. so it was a nice opportunity for my family to be together."
However, for some students, Family Weekend wasn't anything special.
"My parents didn't come because they're in Missouri and I'm not wirth the 18-hour drive," said AU senior George Hayes.
Jason Trombley, vice president of the Student Confederation, said his mother visited campus for the first time this weekend.
Trombley agreed with his mother's feelings about AU.
"My mom felt that AU had a very homey feel," Trombley said. "She said that I had picked a great place to go to school."
Next year, Trombley plans to try to organize a "Taste of Tenley" to go on during Family Weekend. This would give AU families information about restaurants in Tenleytown that would provide discounts for the weekend. "I also will be doing more advance planning next year," Trombley said, regarding the idea.
