Enjoying family time
Visiting families participate in many activities around campus
Family Weekend means something different to each student at Liberty University. For some, it means happy reunions with parents and siblings after months without seeing one another. For others, it means increased traffic, accompanied by the chance to meet new people.
Reunion — Students and their families gathered over the weekend. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
This year’s Family Weekend, an annual Liberty University event, was held Oct. 24-26 and provided many students the opportunity to interact with family members and participate in more than 30 activities throughout the weekend.
Director of Parent and Family Connections Theresa Dunbar described the event as the department’s most demanding, yet rewarding, weekend of the year.
“This year, we had (more than) 3,000 family members registered to attend our event, and that is about 900 more than the previous year,” Dunbar said. “Each year, we have seen an increase of 800 to 900 in attendance as families enjoy an opportunity to reconnect with their students and attend activities on campus as a family.”
Score — Families cheered on Flames. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
Families checked in Friday and Saturday and were given a variety of specialty Liberty University gifts, including a free Mason drink jar with a Liberty emblem, Liberty University tote and wristband for free Snowflex and LaHaye Ice Center activities.
Dunbar explained that her favorite part about each Family Weekend is seeing the excitement on the faces of the families as they watch a Liberty football game with their students.
“You can sense the excitement in the air, and you see it on their faces,” Dunbar said. “It’s the overall ‘wow’ factor of our beautiful campus surrounded by the colors of fall from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Who doesn’t love that?”
Many students and their families prepared for the football game with the tradition of tailgating, and were later able to enjoy a 34-0 Flames win over Gardner-Webb Saturday to end the weekend.
WEYANT is a feature reporter.