Whether watching the Head of the Charles Regatta, listening to some tunes on the Esplanade or engaging in some serious poetry talk with former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Parents’ Weekend boasted numerous activities for families to enjoy together.
Director of Orientation and Off-Campus Services Craig Mack said Parents’ Weekend has remained consistently popular for at least the past 10 years.
‘It’s all gone pretty well in terms of attendance numbers,’ Mack said.
He said the barbecue and Saturday night extravaganza remain popular homecoming events year after year and each usually attract more than 1,000 students and parents.
Mack said about a quarter of students’ families come to Boston University for the weekend, but factors such as distance and expenses prevent some parents from attending.
BU spokesman Colin Riley praised Parents’ Weekend for the unique chance it provides parents and students to catch up with each another.
‘It’s a good opportunity for parents to get together with their sons and daughters and be kept abreast of events on campus,’ Riley said.
College of General Studies sophomore Corey Pollock was one student who said his parents would not be coming. Hailing from Ohio, he said distance kept them from attending but would have enjoyed having them visit.
‘It’s a good thing because a lot of parents see their kids,’ he said.
CAS senior John Dickey also said his parents would not be attending this time but had come in past years. With the Columbus Day holiday, he usually chooses to go home instead.
‘I know first-year students’ parents come up,’ he said. ‘The university has reached out a lot in the past two years.’
Loredana Croda, a CAS freshman, said she welcomed the visit from her parents because she was not going home for Thanksgiving though she would have preferred they visit on a different weekend.
‘I think it’s horrible because we have midterms next week,’ she said.
Jean Kim, a CAS sophomore, echoed Croda’s feelings about Parent’s Weekend’s poor timing, although his mother came from California.
‘What’s the point for her coming all this way when I have work?’ she said. ‘It should be closer to the holiday or we should have a break off work.’
Homecoming and Parents’ Weekend has a deep tradition at BU, but many weekends suffered poor attendance following World War II, despite the addition of several events such as dinner, dancing and campus tours for alumni, according to BU historian Kathleen Kilgore’s book ‘Transformations.’
In the book, Kilgore says the concept of Homecoming Weekend itself apparently even provoked confusion when a newspaper reported that one freshman thought Homecoming was the sequel to the Lassie movie ‘Lassie Come Home.’
But with Lassie dead and parents now pouring in by the thousands, Parents’ Weekend remains a tradition at BU and most colleges across the country. It might not be the Beanpot, but visitors still said plenty of fun is involved.