Around 2,000 freshmen parents will visit this weekend to check up on their kids and experience a little bit of Dartmouth for themselves.
Campus tours, an information fair, seminars, a cabaret night and a hike are among the events planned to entertain parents during the weekend.
"It's going to be exciting to see it all come together," said Kerri Apblett '97, co-chair of the committee organizing the weekend. The committee, comprised of 20 members of the 1997 Class Council, has met at least once a week since Fall term to plan the events.
Co-chair Carolyn Wolff '97 said the committee used evaluations written by parents who attended last year's weekend to improve the events this year.
"The night time entertainment and the receptions were all rated low," Wolff said.
In response to criticisms, the committee tried to find entertainment that would appeal to both parents and students.
Tomorrow night's cabaret will therefore include the World Percussion Ensemble, the Occum Pond singing group and College a capella groups, Wolff said.
The committee also decided to display student artwork in reception areas and invite faculty and administrators to the receptions.
Although the committee did not have a budget, it received money from the $25 registration fee paid by each of the approximately 2,000 parents who signed up.
"We weren't given whatever we wanted," Apblett said. "It had to be within reason."
The committee also worked hard to include the interests of minority groups in the weekend events, "especially because a place like Dartmouth has a pretty conservative reputation," Wolff said.
Last year minority students organized their own parents' weekend but will not do so this year, Wolff said.
Co-chair Sara Kettler '97 said the committee invited representatives of different minority groups to participate in a panel discussion, open to everyone, which will address the issue of diversity at Darmtouth.
The committee also arranged for 13 professors from different departments to give seminars tomorrow on a variety of academic topics.
Wolff said that much of the committee work was tedious.
"There was a lot of BlitzMail work and a lot of going to talk to people," she said. "I think it was a lot of work, but I hope it goes okay."
