Unfamiliar faces in dorms and dining halls switched from freshmen to family members last weekend as parents and siblings descended on Northwestern for Family Weekend.

Three weeks after New Student Week, Northwestern hosted campus events for parents as well as students.

Jeffrey Bowman, father of a Medill freshman, said he enjoyed getting a peek at his daughter’s new life in Evanston.

“It’s a beautiful campus, and it was a very exciting football game, but it’s also a great opportunity to walk around and see the different places important to (my daughter) and to meet her friends,” Bowman said.

Many freshman students had not seen their parents since they first moved less than a month ago.

“I think three weeks was enough for everyone to get adjusted and to give parents an accurate sense of how we’re doing,” said Travis Baer, a McCormick freshman.

Baer’s parents arrived Friday night, the first day of Family Weekend activities, but too late to see any of his classes.

Other parents were in a similar predicament.

“The idea of going to classes with him (on Friday) didn’t work, because it was impossible for us to get here then,” said John Burchfield, father of an Education freshman.

The football game, on the other hand, attracted leagues of visitors and their families. Although Whitney Gretz and her father, an Indiana alumnus, did not attend many NU-organized events, they did attend the football game.

“We had a $5 bet on who would win,” said Gretz, a Weinberg sophomore. “I had to force him not to wear anything Indiana so he wouldn’t get booed.”

Many other students opted out of NU-organized events.

Rachel Aherin and her parents only attended one event and spent the weekend shopping and dining out in the area instead.

“We wanted the weekend to ourselves, because they are so close to the school,” said Aherin, a Medill freshman. “We can have the NU experience anytime.”

Baer had a different problem. He and his parents did not attend any NU programming because they were unaware that any existed.

“I didn’t hear much about other events,” Baer said. He and his parents spent most of the weekend in Chicago instead.

Catherine Melka, a Weinberg sophomore, heard about programming on the Evanston Campus from her parents.

They received pamphlets about Family Weekend events prior to their arrival, Melka said.

“Students didn’t really know what was going on,” Melka said. “Maybe if pamphlets were given to students, then they would be more aware and more willing to bring their parents to (the events).”

Despite the confusion, Melka and other students said they enjoyed sharing their NU lives with their families during Family Weekend.

Josh HarMonday, a Weinberg senior in Purple Haze, the a cappella group that hosted the annual Best of the Midwest concert, said he thought Family Weekend occurred too early for freshmen who still are adjusting, but it was perfect timing for him. His parents and two sisters came to see him perform in his final B.O.T.M. a cappella show.

HarMonday, like many other students, chose not to attend any NU-organized events except for the football game.

“They flew out and spent money to visit me, so I’d rather spend time with them as opposed to going to university events,” Harmon said.

Reach Helena Oh at [email protected].