More than 500 families visited the College this weekend, attending a host of events including a greeting from College President James Wright on Friday afternoon and a breakfast send-off Sunday morning.
"Dartmouth is not a college, it's an experience," Uthman Olagoke '11, co-chair of Family Weekend, said. "It's a time for [freshmen] in general to get reacquainted with what they think is special about Dartmouth."
Planning for the weekend began in February under the leadership of chairs Olagoke, Kat Richardson '11 and Matt Scott '11. About 30 students helped organize and staff 54 events throughout the weekend. Parents attended open houses at administrative offices, the pottery and jewelry studios and the riding center among other places. Events were held at the Dartmouth Outing Club House, and parents could tour the Big Green Bus and Baker Bell Tower.
Sheikh Naeem, father of Joseph Naeem '11, said he most enjoyed the self-guided tour of Baker Bell Tower, evening programs and seeing students go about their daily activities.
"You also get a sense of belonging to the College," Sheikh Naeem said. "You know once you are here, you kind of start getting the feeling of being a part of it. There's more involvement that way."
Betsy Roland, mother of John Roland '11, enjoyed the opportunity to learn about her son's freshman year experience.
"It just gives you a kind of a little slice of your child's life at college, and of course you're at an incredibly beautiful school where I think many of the parents would love to be themselves" Betsy Roland said. "Everyone there is very bright, motivated and focused -- it makes you feel good that your child is at a college like that, having that opportunity to learn and develop themselves."
Faculty and administrators used the weekend to show parents the role they play in the students' lives and the possibilities for extending this role to include students' families.
David Ehrlich, a professor of film studies who spoke at a panel titled "Why I Chose to Teach at Dartmouth" on Saturday, used the weekend to reflect on his own college experience.
"When I went to Cornell, the only time my parents came up was to drop me off in the fall freshman year and pick me up at the end of spring," Ehrlich said. "They never really understood what my experience was."
At the panel, Ehrlich expressed his appreciation for Dartmouth students' supportive and helpful attitudes towards each other and the academic capabilities of Dartmouth's athletes, he said.
"I think families and especially the parents, they see their son or daughter becoming a mature adult," Ehrlich said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "They see it during Christmas vacation, they hear it on the phone, and the experience at the very least is confusing. The goal of this weekend seems to be, I hope it was, to give the parents, brothers and sisters a sense of what it's like to live on campus and be a part of Dartmouth."
Ehrlich added that since many families make significant financial sacrifices for their children to attend the College, Family Weekend shows parents "the true value of the Dartmouth experience."
Gabrielle Lucke, associate director of the Collis Center and student activities, served as an adviser and coordinator in planning the weekend.
