The College will welcome more than 1,000 members of its extended family to campus this weekend for the annual Freshman Family Weekend.
Parents and other family members of freshmen will attend a number of planned activities and share the Dartmouth experience tomorrow through Sunday.
Lindsay Page '98, who co-chaired a committee that planned the weekend, said about 550 families are scheduled to come to campus this weekend.
Page said the committee has been working on the weekend's agenda since Fall term. It has come up with a long list of events and open houses for parents and family members to attend.
Page said the committee "tried to have a lot of things planned so that people could pick and choose."
The weekend has a large number of activities for parents to attend because, as Dean of Freshmen Peter Goldsmith said, "the overlapping activities indicate that parents and sons and daughters are free to make choices."
Goldsmith, who said the weekend is "wonderfully organized" with a "lot of imagination," said he thinks the weekend is an essential part of Dartmouth life because it brings parents to Dartmouth to get a firsthand view of life at the College.
He said the weekend serves the purpose of being a "living, breathing user's manual for parents."
Page described the weekend as "more informal" than weekends in the past, and said the planning committee attempted to create activities for "the weekend on a more personal level."
"We're looking forward to it and think that it will be a good weekend that everybody's ready for," she said.
The weekend officially begins with registration from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts, where parents will pick up their schedules and information packets.
During this registration, Acting President James Wright will make a few remarks and talk to parents at an Opening Reception, scheduled for 5 to 6 p.m.
Also on Friday, parents will be able to have tea with various deans from 4 to 5 p.m. or attend Open Houses at the Tucker Foundation from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and the International House from 3 to 5 p.m.
Later that night, parents who have previously purchased tickets can attend the B.B. King Concert. Page said half of all the parents coming up this weekend have tickets for B.B. King.
Saturday morning at 9, early risers can attend a talk by Education Professor Andrew Garrod, Goldsmith and Assistant Dean of the College Lisa Thum in the Collis Common Ground titled "Why Won't My Son or Daughter Tell Me Anything?" The talk will be repeated at 1 p.m.
In Collis from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. representatives from College offices such as Health Services, Dartmouth Dining Services and Admissions and Financial Aid will be available in small rooms to answer parents' questions.
Page said this system is different from the large discussions held in previous years so parents "can float around, pick up literature from different groups and ask their questions".
Throughout Saturday, parents will be able to attend a number of sporting events, as well as open houses at the Ledyard Canoe Club and the Dartmouth Asian Organization, faculty talks, faculty lectures and Baker Library Bell Tower Tours.
From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, there will be Residential Open Houses where families will get to meet the Area Coordinators and Undergraduate Advisors while enjoying refreshments in the common areas of the residence halls.
At 5 p.m. there will be a Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Organization Parent's Reception at Casque & Gauntlet, and a reception at the Hood Museum titled "Shaping an American Landscape: the Art and Architecture of Charles A. Platt."
Saturday evening there will be a number of entertaining activities for families to attend.
The Dodecaphonics will sing at 6 p.m. in the Collis Common Ground, and there will be a showing of the film "The Reel Dartmouth."
This film was produced by Jamie Bedrin '98 and will show actual footage of campus life at Dartmouth.
At 8 p.m. in Leede Arena, Hypnotist Dr. Mort Berkowitz will perform for students and parents. According to Page, the committee is hoping to get parents up on stage to be hypnotized.
Sunday begins early with a brunch at Full Fare from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., which includes a concert by the Aires.
There will be a number of open houses on Sunday, as well. The Dartmouth Outing Club will have its open house at the Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme, N.H., which will "show all different parts of the DOC."