Parents flock to campus for weekend
The hedges are alive with the sound of parents this weekend for Rice's annual Families Weekend.Families Weekend kicked off yesterday and will last until Sunday. Approximately 1,500 parents and guests of students are expected to attend. The theme for this year is the "Dynamic Community" and is centered around the 11 residential colleges working together to create a dynamic Rice community.
Families Weekend is coordinated by Director of Reunion Programs and Special Events Jennifer Harding and chair of the Steering Committee Carl Nelson.
Harding said that for the past two years, the Rice Program Council and Rice Passport to Houston program have collaborated on the Friday museum destination event - this year, a "Picnic in the Art" reception at The Menil Collection is scheduled for this afternoon.
"Rice Families Weekend has two basic components," Harding said. "The first is academic as exemplified with the focus on classes, lectures and presentations. The second is cultural and social with many opportunities for engaging with other Rice families, enjoying student life and experiencing Rice's neighboring Houston museums."
In addition to the "Picnic in the Art" collection are a variety of other events for families, including, but not limited to, the Rice versus Baylor football game, a new installation in the Rice Gallery by Sarah Oppenheimer, recitals put on by the Shepherd School of Music, lectures by various members of the faculty and Baker Blues, Baker College's annual public party held during Families Weekend.
Nelson, a Brown College senior, said that he worked with the presidents of each college to form a small voluntary committee of students to help plan the event. The student steering committee members select and invite lecturing professors, act as liaisons to their colleges, help staff the weekend events and establish the theme.
Even with all the activities planned, the most anticipated experience of the weekend will probably be students reuniting with their families for a great weekend on campus, Harding said.
"My parents are most excited about actually seeing the campus, and I'm really excited to show them around now that I actually know where everything is, so I won't get lost or get them lost with me," Lovett College freshman Shirin Lakhani said.
For a complete schedule of the events planned for Families Weekend, visit www.rice.edu/famweek.
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