The NSU community celebrated family weekend, an event catered to the parents of NSU students, on Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2. This was the first family weekend since 2019.
Family weekend is an open house event for NSU parents to see where their child lives, walk around campus and attend events that are designed to entertain friends and family. It is not only for parents, but also for anyone in a student’s support system who wants to learn more about the university.
“Family weekend is a great way to build connections and it gives NSU the opportunity to show your families what you have going on, what you are involved in and how to get more involved,” said Gerald Wheeler, organizer of the event and assistant dean of student engagement.
Almost double the number of families attended this year’s family weekend as compared to 2019; NSU hosted 470 families this year, whereas only 270 attended the event in 2019.
All students had to register by Friday, Sept. 23 to secure their spot for the event as well as reserve their food and free T-shirt. Once a student registered, they received a wristband which allowed them to attend the events planned. Each member of the family paid a small registration fee. The prices were $25 for anyone over the age of 17, $10 for those between the ages of 5-16 and free for NSU students and those under the age of four. For families who travelled from outside the state, NSU partnered with a host hotel, Sheraton Suites Plantation, to give them discounted prices.
Weekend events included Mt. Olympus on Friday at the Flight Deck backyard, which presented carnival games, giveaways and fun music, and Sabado in the Circle, which was Wheeler’s “must attend event.”
“It was a collaboration between our diversity student council and USGA,” said Wheeler. “It was a way to celebrate Hispanic heritage month by bringing in local businesses, playing Latin music with an incredible band, as well as two salsa instructors that taught basic salsa classes.”
Another event families enjoyed was the Shark Talent performance. Shark Talent is a Razor’s Edge scholarship program designed to improve community outreach through innovative arts. The performance took place on Saturday Oct. 1 at 3p.m. – 4p.m. during the Razor’s Edge Talent showcase, and families got to see different Razor’s Edge programs come together to create an entertaining spectacle for parents and guests.
Mackenzie Schultz, sophomore sports and recreation management major and the youngest of four children, had great predictions for this year’s family weekend.
“I think that family weekend is going to be a mix of how Community Fest and Shark Preview were, in the sense that there will be fun events at certain times that are more family oriented, so my parents can get a better feel of the amazing school I attend,” said Schultz.
Wheeler continued, “We are excited to see family weekend again and we hope that this can continue as a tradition.”
