Families from all over the United States came to Western Carolina University the first weekend in October to celebrate Family Weekend.
Every year, WCU welcomes student’s families with a weekend packed full of events. Many WCU clubs and organizations got on board by hosting events to show off what makes WCU so great, giving students and their families several inexpensive and fun entertainment options.
“Family weekend is a good opportunity for families to come to campus and get a feel for what their student’s life is like here on campus,” said Shawna Young, director of enrollment support. “This is especially important for families of first year students. For most freshmen, this will be the first time they’ve lived long term on their own. Family Weekend gives families of first year students an opportunity to meet their student’s new friends, RAs, professors, etc.”
Some of the weekend’s events included “Cullowhee’s take on Dave and Busters,” hosted by The Cat’s Den, which featured pool tables, darts, air hockey and other arcade style games. Last Minute Productions showed a screening of the movie Cars 2 and Dining Services served several light continental breakfasts.
Other organizations, such as Campus EXTREMES, Western Carolina PEAKS, and the WCU Family Association held meetings to talk about how to support students in their academic quest and how students, as well as their parents could get more involved.
The biggest event of the weekend was the WCU vs. Furman football game. There were many pre-game activities that were going on, such as free hotdogs on the newly renovated central plaza and Student Affairs tailgate birthday party for WCU’s mascot, Paws.
The atmosphere of the tailgate was upbeat as students and their parents shared lots of laughs and made memories.
Fred and Cindy Noble from Raleigh, N.C. said they look forward to family weekend so they can take part in their daughter Megan’s college career.
“She is already a senior and she has grown up so quickly. We want to be a part of her life however we can, as well as see what she experiences at Western on a regular basis,” said Cindy Noble.
Family weekend is organized by WCU’s Family Association, which seeks to encourage and educate families about how to get involved with their student’s academic experience at WCU.
