Donald Keough and Chiara Burson, News Editor and Special to The Denisonian –
Despite the showers and cloudy weather covering campus, undeterred crowds of family members of students filled campus over the weekend. More than a thousand people signed up to partake in Denison’s first Family Weekend, which included a slew of events.
The weekend was designed to give a taste of what student life was like, and the activities ranged from master classes, concerts, a speech from President Adam Weinberg, sports events, open houses and more. There was also a platform designed through the Whova App in which registered attendees could view events, communicate with others through messaging and compete with each other through a leaderboard that listed the most active participants during the weekend.
The events started the morning of Sept. 27 and lasted until the evening of Sept. 28. The final event was a dinner hosted at the Mitchell Center. Hundreds of students and relatives took part in the dinner, which also included a student performance by The Overalls alongside a performance by a Columbus-based 80’s rock cover band, Rockhouse.
In previous years, Denison has had a family weekend of sorts, but it was wrapped together with Big Red Weekend, when alumni were also invited to return. When these weekends were combined, alumni and family themed events would coincide with one another, making it difficult to have activities planned in equal measure for some.
But this year, Family Weekend became its own stand-alone event after 10 years of being a part of Big Red Weekend.
Julie Tucker, a Director of Family Engagement at Denison, explained that the groups’ separate interests were the main motivators behind the decision to split Big Red Weekend and Family Weekend into two separate events.
“Parents and alumni tend to want different things out of their visits, so we figured giving each of them their own weekend would be the most efficient way to get everyone what they wanted,” Tucker said.
One of the ways that this weekend differed from Big Red Weekend was how the events were catered specifically to family members. Much of this weekend focused on giving a better sense of what it’s like to be a Denison student, and what resources the students have.
Even though Big Red Weekend had been essentially split into two parts, Family Weekend had a consistent flow of activities throughout the entirety of the weekend. One of the events during the weekend was the tailgate held before the football game between Denison and Hiram College. The tailgate featured food trucks, Denison merchandise, photos with Buzzy, and a drink truck for the adults.
Many visiting parents, such as Deirdre Lewis, attended the tailgate. Lewis is a parent of a student from the class of 2025 and came from New York for the weekend.
“I think [having two separate weekends] was such a great idea,” Lewis said. “It lets the staff and families focus just on the kids, and overall, it’s been such a fun experience.”
Another event that was offered was an activity inspired by the show, “Shark Tank.” The event included a presentation on the Red Frame Lab, a program at Denison which prepares students for future careers through entrepreneurship and consulting.
In addition to listening to the presentation, families worked in groups to pitch a solution to a Denison-related issue by using techniques also used in RED (research, engagement and design), Corps, a division of Red Frame Lab.
Red Frame Director Steve Krak hosted the event alongside other student members.
“It was a neat chance to take a deep dive, but to also do it in an active way, and let them participate as if they were in RED corps using some of the tools that we use,” Krak said in regards to the Shark Tank activity.
Krak also noted that parents and families were able to get a better sense of what their students are doing at Denison.
“I think it’s really hard for families to have good visibility into what their students are going through at their colleges,” Krak said. “They see brochures. They come for college visits. They get to see some things they don’t get to see others. So a chance to come back for a family weekend and not only reconnect with their student, but also to see more about what’s available.”
Looking ahead, Krak hopes that more families can get involved with events such as those hosted during this Family Weekend.
“When it comes to the families… they go where they want to go,” Krak said. “It would be really cool if we could find a way to get some of this confidence… in front of even more people.
Big Red weekend, which originally occurred around this time in previous years, has been moved to the first weekend of November. Big Red Weekend is described as the “inaugural alumni-centric” week but to also do it in an active way, and let them participate as if they were in RED corps using some of the tools that we use,” Krak said in regards to the Shark Tank activity.
Krak also noted that parents and families were able to get a better sense of what their students are doing at Denison.
“I think it’s really hard for families to have good visibility into what their students are going through at their colleges,” Krak said. “They see brochures. They come for college visits. They get to see some things they don’t get to see others. So a chance to come back for a family weekend and not only reconnect with their student, but also to see more about what’s available.”
Looking ahead, Krak hopes that more families can get involved with events such as those hosted during this Family Weekend.
“When it comes to the families… they go where they want to go,” Krak explained. “It would be really cool if we could find a way to get some of this confidence… in front of even more people.
Big Red weekend, which originally occurred around this time in previous years, has been moved to the first weekend of November. Big Red Weekend is described as the “inaugural alumni-centric” weekend, and will feature events such as sports games, department demonstrations and a performance by the Burpee’s Seedy Theatrical Company featuring Steve Carell ‘84.