<rleton parents descend upon campus for family weekend, we can’t shake the sense that our borders have been breached.
For 29 weekends out of the school year, the campus is our space. And we like it that way. Living apart from our parents is a major aspect of what defines our college experience. They’re not here to clean up after us, answer every question or make us dinner.
However, this weekend is the one time that it becomes universally acceptable for parents to break that barrier.
For many parents, this is their opportunity to see how we spend all of our time — they are dying to learn more about our day-to-day lives, from what we’re eating in the dining halls, to just how cold Minnesota weather actually is.
They also get to see the return on the investment in their student’s college education. Some may visit your classes. Others might insist on meeting your favorite professors. This weekend is a chance for them to see that their money is being well spent. A pretty reasonable request.
On top of all that, there are plenty of reasons for students to appreciate parents’ weekend as well. Despite the potential embarrassment they bring, parents undoubtedly provide a welcome energy on campus. The lines in Sayles might be a little bit longer, and Chapati is probably booked for the entire weekend, but we love the added buzz.
Parents love meeting our friends and our friends’ parents, but best of all, we get free dinners, trips to target and help cleaning our rooms. And of course we can’t forget the joy of playing the age-old pastime of matching students to their parents.
It wouldn’t feel right if parents were here all the time, but we’re grateful for these occasional and special visits.
Welcome parents! And shoutouts in next week’s issue to any mom or dad who gets their hands on Schiller. The race is on.