Family Weekend offers full schedule for students, visitors

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Family Weekend will offer a host of activities and events on and off campus for students and their families, providing opportunities to learn more about the university and the surrounding city. The weekend’s events run from Friday, Oct. 11, to Sunday, Oct. 13.

The lineup includes old favorites and brand-new options. Emma Drennan, marketing and special events coordinator for University Student Commons and Activities, said the weekend offers a combination of both the fun and the informative, creating a chance for students and their families to deepen their connection with the VCU experience. The schedule includes one-time events and ongoing activities, such as free open access to VCU’s recreational sports facilities for Family Weekend guests during the three days.

The weekend launches Friday afternoon with a series of activities that includes poster presentations of student research in the Virginia Rooms of the Student Commons from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and a family picnic for medical campus students on the Bear Hall Lawn from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. On Friday night, VCU’s beloved tradition of a mass screening of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” will take place in the Commons Plaza from 10 p.m. to midnight. Free props will go to the first 300 students, and prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed male and female characters.

Saturday is packed with activities, such as Cabell Library tours, concerts, movie showings and other offerings, including “Supporting Your Student’s Emotional Needs,” a chance to have coffee or tea with the staff of The Wellness Resource Center and Counseling Services (10 a.m. to 11 a.m., The Wellness Resource Center, conference room). A new feature of the day is a free hour-long bus tour of some of Richmond’s nearby neighborhoods, such as downtown, Monument Avenue and Carytown. Tours leave from the Floyd Street entrance of the Student Commons at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Also, on Saturday, “The Other Side of Orientation: What Your Students Don’t Tell You” returns to the Family Weekend schedule after being introduced last year. The event, which will be held between 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. in the Academic Learning Commons, Room 1201, allows family members to speak with university administrators who are also experienced parents. These administrators either have college students of their own or have children who have already finished college.

Parents can speak with these administrators about key topics related to the college experience and the ways that parents can most help their students in their pursuits. Topics include “cutting the cord,” how to handle college as a full-time job and the value and opportunity that comes with the diversity of the VCU community.

“It was a very popular event last year,” Drennan said. “Parents will learn a lot, and it’s a chance for them to see the great new Academic Learning Commons building.”

Later, the Division of Student Affairs will host a festive “Friends and Family Appreciation” event in the Commons Plaza from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Families can socialize while enjoying entertainment, including Rodney the Ram, the VCU pep band and a DJ, and an assortment of activities and food.

The men’s and women’s soccer teams will host games both Friday and Sunday. Family Weekend also coincides with the Richmond Folk Festival, the huge and popular music festival set on the Richmond riverfront.

For a complete schedule of the weekend’s events, visit http://www.familyweekend.vcu.edu/.

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