Old and new BU customs blend at Parents Weekend
The past, present, and future of Boston University will be on display at this year’s Parents Weekend, as members of the BU community and their families take part in old traditions and help establish new ones.
The three-day event begins on Friday, October 14, and concludes on Sunday, October 16. Festivities include longtime favorites the 5K Fun Run and the Terrier Family Fair, as well as some new options that planners hope will become perennial picks. Activities such as Deck Out the Dog, the Jazz Brunch, and the Purely Scarlet Reception for seniors are new this year, varying the offerings further and reminding students that this weekend is about them, too.
“The concept was for students to do this with their parents or to do it alone,” says Craig Mack, director of the Office of Orientation and Off-Campus Services, which plans Parents Weekend. “And we’d like to encourage them to participate.”
Friday’s events include a series of welcome receptions at the various schools and colleges, as well as the Undergraduate Research Awards and the presentation “BU Then & Now: The Evolution of Our University,” sponsored by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center in Mugar Library. In the evening, visitors can attend events ranging from a dinner prepared by celebrity chef and Metropolitan College instructor Jacques Pepin to a women’s ice hockey game against Union College. The game is the third of the team’s inaugural season.
The Jazz Brunch, hosted by Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore, takes place on Saturday morning, while the weekend’s centerpiece is Saturday’s Terrier Fair, from noon to 3 p.m. Here, 30 statues of Rhett the Terrier—decorated by student groups for Deck Out the Dog—will be on display and judged by students and parents. The Saturday Night Extravaganza, which begins at 8 p.m., features music, dance, and sketch comedy by student performance groups. A Casino Night, sponsored by the Student Activities Office, rounds out the evening from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday’s activities include a Hillel House Bagel Brunch and a matinee performance of Bye Bye Birdie by BU’s Stage Troupe. In addition, faculty from the University’s schools and colleges will be offering lectures throughout the weekend, and art exhibitions by BU students and alumni are on display at the University’s galleries.
A complete schedule of Parents Weekend activities is available at the Parents Weekend Web site.