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By: Bob E. Gasper, Penn State Parents Council

Syllabus:

“The goal of ENGL 15 is to help students to become ‘critical citizens’ inside and outside the university, people who engage actively and influentially with the communities they belong to because they have an awareness of how communities are created and influenced through language and other symbols. In this course you will acquire skills in rhetoric and argumentation by completing five major assignments as determined by the instructor.” (Yes-this is from an actual English 15 syllabus).

College is the time to ponder life’s mysteries, to question our long-standing beliefs and to look inward and discover new things about ourselves. For years philosophers and writers have been debating the greatest of these quandaries: “To Football Weekend or to Parents and Families Weekend?” That is the question.

The answer is not a simple one. You must look within. Football weekends at Penn State are legendary and amazing in so many ways— the history, the camaraderie, the sportsmanship and yes— even tailgating, but that only tells a small piece of your student’s narrative. Parents and Families Weekend, like English 15 — can help teach you how to write the rest of your Penn State story.

Assignment One: Schedule

The first six weeks of school away from home can be tough. By the seventh and eighth week, stress and homesickness levels are increasing, and the newness is wearing off. So, at this time, it can be very helpful to get a visit from home. Conversely, your student may be thriving and is excited to share all this newness with you. These are the reasons why Parents and Families Weekend is scheduled for October 8-10, 2021. In either case, it can be a great check in time without the frenzy of a football weekend.

Parents and Families Weekend is what you make of it, and the menu of events is a la carte. You can pick and choose whatever you want. You can run from event to event or use it as a time to slow down and connect with your student. Perhaps you can share a meal with some of their friends and their families.

Registration opens tomorrow, August 24 — and closes on September 22 at 5:00 pm. Be sure to finalize your assignment by the deadline. Please Note: The early bird gets the worm as some events sell out very quickly – perhaps in a day or two.

Assignment Two: Prepare

One annual concern about Parents and Families Weekend is over-crowding. How do I get a hotel room? How do I make a dinner reservation? It can be challenging, but while Parents and Families Weekend brings around 10,000 visitors to town, a football weekend brings in over 100,000 people. Still, you may need to be creative. If you can’t find a hotel reservation close by, look for one in a nearby town, or look for non-traditional rentals such as Airbnb. If you have difficulty with dinner reservations, why not make things simple and get takeout from a sandwich shop or go picnic style on the HUB Lawn or the Penn State Arboretum? The important thing is the time together.

Assignment Three: Gather knowledge

A great thing about the weekend is the ability to gather knowledge. You and your student can attend information sessions on many topics: Career Services (eyes on the prize— we want our students to find gainful employment when their time at Dear Old State is done), Study Abroad (fingers crossed that this programming will be getting back to its pre-Covid status very soon) or Housing (they’ve barely unpacked for this school year and it’s time for your student to think about next year’s home away from home). My only regret after attending many sessions is that there is no way our son could or would incorporate all that we learned into his Penn State experience.

Assignment Four: Discover

In a recent survey of Penn State students, wellness, sustainability, and social justice emerged as the most important elements of the campus community. We made the decision to focus our planning on these elements. Some highlights on how we are aiming to address those goals:

• Wellness: We’ve included a variety of events on the schedule, including a “Build Your Resilience Toolbox” session, a speech, language & hearing clinic, campus recreational IM Building tours, a Thon 5K, and a Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) information session. And dare I say - the Ice Cream Social provides wellness? It sure does “happify” my mind and body.
• Sustainability: This year we are putting together our Family Pride Packs again, full of Penn State pride and sustainable goodness. These include a Tervis Tumbler (lifetime guarantee), reusable straws, and more - all packed in a reusable bag. You will have the opportunity to order a Pride Pack during registration but do so quickly as we anticipate that these will sell out very quickly. In our efforts to reduce the size of our annual guidebook, be sure to check out the new parent interface on the Penn State Go app (available where you get your apps). And on Parents and Families Weekend, utilize the app for updated schedule and maps.
• Social Justice: Learn more about Penn State’s equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives by going to the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity open house and the Multicultural Resource Center virtual open house. There will also be various student performances featuring many of our multicultural student groups at Friday night’s Ice Cream Social.

Assignment Five: Enjoy

I was surprised to learn that most universities charge a fee for their family weekends. At Penn State, registration, and most events are free (however, some events and activities do have a fee). The full schedule of events is listed here. This year we are recommending you spend the Saturday lunch time or Sunday brunch checking out the dining halls where they will offer a special brunch and entertainment – for only $8.00 each.

Another parent suggested to have your student walk you around campus and show you where they attend class or even study. The famous campus elms should be at their fall peak at this time – the best place to view these are on the Pattee Mall between the library and the Allen Street Gates.

Parents and Families Weekend is open to all families, but we are especially excited to welcome the families of second-year students who did not have a chance to attend in person last year.

There are exclusive events that are only available during Parents and Families Weekend! These include Campus Ghost Tours led by the Lion Ambassadors, a tour the President’s office in Old Main, and a chance to see the stars through a telescope at Astronight in the Davey Laboratory.

And if more sports is what you want, you can find different and unique experiences whether it is visiting the All Sports Museum, touring Beaver Stadium (these tickets sell out very quickly), or attending the football watch party for this year’s away game against Iowa. Checkout Men’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball (two alumnae just received gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics), and Men’s or Women’s Hockey.

Grading

We know you’ll want to earn an A. The key to getting an A+ for Parents and Families Weekend is to simply connect with your student — share a performance, a tour, or an ice cream. For extra credit: Don’t forget to capture a photograph of the whole family at the Nittany Lion Shrine. If you can’t make it to campus, we will be sharing options for virtual events on October 1. However, you choose to spend the time, it will undoubtedly help your family to write your personal Penn State story!

The Parent-to-Parent Blog is written by members of the Penn State Parents Council who are dedicated to enhancing communication about the Penn State family experience. Opinions and experiences expressed in the blog are those of the writer(s). The blog is a partnership with the Penn State Parents Program.

Learn more about the Parents Council.