Family Weekend 2002 gave students the chance to show over 1,400 University of Miami parents how great it is to be a Miami Hurricane.
The events kicked off Friday afternoon with the Parent Involvement Luncheon, sponsored by the Alumni Association.
“We try to have a lot of activities on Friday and have less on Saturday and Sunday,” said Webb Morgan, assistant director of student life. “This allows parents to spend the rest of the weekend with their sons or daughters.”
Also, parents were invited to participate in two Faculty Forums.
Among the speakers were Dr. Maria Galli Stampino, assistant professor of Italian and French who spoke about Italian theatre, and Dr. Richard John, who spoke about the history of architecture.
“The forums were very informative,” Mauricio Rodriguez said. “Many parents decided not to attend, but I really got a lot of information out of the discussions.”
Academic Deans from all over the University presented parents with recent accomplishments and future plans for their child’s particular school or college.
“I was able to learn about my daughter’s classes and what kind of things she would be doing in the future,” Mary Donahue said.
Tours were also given throughout the weekend.
“I love this campus; it is so beautiful,” Richard Zippin said.
Other activities included a barbecue, a comedy show, a 5K Fun Run/Walk and a tour of the Lowe Art Museum.
“The barbecue was a great way to meet other UM parents,” Donahue said.
“This is the second year doing the Fun Run,” Morgan said. “We doubled our participants from 50 last year to 100 this year.”
On Saturday morning, a local historian, Dr. Paul George, presented parents with a historical bus tour of Coral Gables.
“The tour brought us throughout Coral Gables,” said Doug Clark. “My favorite part was Coco Plum.”
The highlight of the weekend was the UM vs. University of Connecticut 48-14 victory at the Orange Bowl. Families were able to purchase tickets and attend the game in the parents’ section.
Parents and students took part in a Pep Rally at the Rock sponsored by Category 5 to get ready for Saturday’s football game against UConn.
“It was a lot of fun going to the game with my family,” sophomore April Johnson said.
The United Black Students and the Woodson Williams Marshall Association hosted a brunch for the families of black students at the UC.
Religious services were offered at various times and locations on Sunday for those who wanted to participate.
Besides participating in the events of Family Weekend, parents were able to partake in everyday activities.
“I saw the TV show ‘Canes Gone Crazy which I thought was a great success,” Zippin said. “It’s a great thing for this campus.”
“I just got back from Publix. Now we’re going to do some much needed laundry,” Donahue said.
Some students were eager for the weekend to end.
“I missed my family, but I was glad to see them leave,” freshman Mark Sheen said. “It was a long weekend but I guess we had fun.”