Parents invade campus

As Blue and Gold Week draws to a close, thousands of parents will arrive on campus to sit in classes, watch the football game and eat dining hall food.

Parents’ Weekend has traditionally been held at the end of third week, but this year it holds a special significance because Blue and Gold Week was changed from ninth week, said Rhea Turteltaub, the vice chancellor for external affairs.

The weekend’s events, which start today and conclude Sunday afternoon, consists of numerous experiences that mimic the days of a typical UCLA student.

Parents can choose to spend their days visiting lectures on various subjects or visit attractions on or near campus, such as the Fowler Museum and the Japanese Garden, Turteltaub said.

Turteltaub added that this year’s Parents’ Weekend is drawing in a record 3,400 attendees, up from approximately 3,000 last year.

She attributes the increase to greater visibility and a new marketing campaign.

“This year we partnered with AAP and made a special effort to send out bilingual invitations to families whose home language is not English,” Turteltaub said.

Another change in this year’s Parents’ Weekend is the special emphasis on the Stanford football game, which has gained prominence due to Blue and Gold Week’s publicity regarding the game.

“Parents have the option to either attend the game in Pasadena or sit at a virtual tailgate in Wilson Plaza where we will broadcast the game on a screen,” Turteltaub said.

Brittany Painter, a third-year comparative literature student, said she was looking forward to seeing her parents, even if she sees them all the time.

“It’ll be a good experience for them to learn about the activities going around in the school; it’s definitely a great idea,” Painter said.

Parents’ Weekend is also a significant event for the Greek system, which holds a variety of formal events, such as presents for members and their parents.

“Sorority presents is this weekend, which introduces new members of the sorority to the organization and allows them to meet students in fraternities,” said Greek adviser Mande Adams.

Adams added that the weekend consists of evening formal dances and other organized exchanges between sororities and fraternities.

Each sorority member will be invited to pick a fraternity member to accompany them to the dance.

“It’s an opportunity for fraternities to welcome the new sorority females,” Adams said.

As a large number of parents will be visiting UCLA this weekend, Adams said the Greek advisers are putting on a special reception to greet them and answer questions on Friday night.

During the day on Saturday, some fraternities and sororities will have “Dad’s Day,” where students will accompany their fathers to the Stanford game. Mothers have the option of coming along or staying behind, Adams said.

She added that this year is the most organized presents to date, especially since the Greek system made the schedule coincide with Parents’ Weekend.

“As a result, parents can combine visiting their sons and daughters to learn about the Greek system while participating in traditional Parents’ Weekend events,” Adams said.

Turteltaub said Parents’ Weekend serves to get parents acquainted with the daily lives of their children, while keeping a “respectful distance.”

“A lot of parents send their children off to college and feel some anxiety. Parents’ Weekend helps relieve some of this anxiety by showing parents what UCLA offers,” she said.

When students go back and visit their parents over the holiday breaks, Turteltaub said she hopes they will share a “common language.”

“Both parents and students can leave this weekend reassured with a strong sense of the university,” she said.

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