After seven months of planning, Northwestern’s Family Weekend begins Friday, Nov. 8, and offers a range of festivities for students’ families to get a glimpse into their lives at NU.
Some 970 families are registered to attend the weekend as of Oct. 23, according to Senior Program Coordinator of Family Engagement Patti Hilkert.
To the dismay of some, this year’s family weekend will not feature a football game. However, in its place are various activities, including two live showings of the comedy and improv group The Second City (upgraded from one showing last year after popular demand), performances from ’80s rock group the Jolly Ringwalds and a family happy hour. Additionally, tickets to the volleyball games on Friday and Sunday will be available for all families.
“Families have asked for more social events where they could meet each other,” said Hilkert. “So we thought (these additions to the schedule) might be a nice way, in a nice, casual setting.”
New this year is The Great Game NU edition, a digital scavenger hunt game around campus where families will be able to learn more about the school and compete for a $500 certificate to the Norris Bookstore.
Other fan favorites from previous years including faculty lectures for parents and various student group performances will also return.
Hilkert said her insider pick for families to visit would be the Dearborn Observatory, which will be open for the weekend.
“That’s a place that people walk by all the time and don’t even realize what it is,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of senior students who have gone to it with their families because they’re like, ‘This is our last chance to go check it out.’”
This year, 36 Family Ambassadors will be guiding families around campus, the highest number of FAs Family Weekend has seen.
The FA program has students available to answer any questions families may have about the weekend or NU. Two Family Coordinators, who work closely with Hilkert to plan the weekend and family orientation during Wildcat Welcome, help train the FAs.
Weinberg junior Liz Alcala is an FC this year after serving as an FA last year. She said the FCs are in charge of making sure the FAs know what to do, working with Hilkert to make sure the weekend is as good of an experience for students as it is for families.
Alcala encourages families to use the FAs as resources as much as they need.
“If you see one of them, please ask them questions,” Alcala said. “It can be logistical, or if you want to just ask them questions to get a new perspective on the school, they can be a really great resource for that.”
Alcala said she encourages families to try to check out other events like the Art Institute of Chicago or student-led productions on campus because many of the big-ticket events have already sold out.
SESP senior Isabel Yi said she was excited to return as an FA for her third year.
Yi remembers getting homesick around this time of year in her freshman year and seeing her parents being a relief. Now in her final year, she is happy for freshmen to have that same experience.
“It’s so rewarding to see the parents and families,” she said. “They’re so cute during move-in, they’re always wearing Northwestern merch, they’re so happy.”
This year, according to Yi, the FAs are ready to take on the weekend without a football game on the schedule. While the change was a big adjustment for the program last year, Yi said FAs feel more prepared this year.
Yi says the addition of another Second City show is a good replacement for the football game.
“Second City is usually a really cool show to see,” Yi said. “I feel like it’s on a lot of people’s Chicago bucket lists.”
Family weekend falls right after the middle of the quarter when many students are cramming for midterms or even finals, Yi said. She recommends families be flexible with their students’ busy schedules.
Hilkert said the true value of family weekend is doing what is best for each family, not only what is on the official schedule.
“Family Weekend is just a great way to of see your student in their element, to meet their friends, to get a better sense of what their life is like now that they’re at school,” Hilkert said. “I think students are pretty proud to show off like the people they’ve met, the things they’re doing, and I think it’s exciting for them to have their families be part of that.”
Email: [email protected]
X: @dov_w_elul
Related Stories:
— Northwestern Family Weekend 2022: Everything you need to know
