What to do with your family during Family Weekend

September 30, 2018

The Ganesh family mingles with University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins at his meet and greet during Family Weekend on Oct. 13.

Kickoff – Oct. 5

The University of Arizona kicks off its 2018 Family Weekend Friday, Oct. 5 at 9 a.m. with a registration tent on the UA Mall where families can pick up event packages and also learn more about the weekend’s planned activities.

While on the UA Mall, families can also enjoy the local farmers market, sponsored by Food in Root, from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. For parents with student enrolled in the SALT program, they can attend the SALT Center Freshman Parent Breakfast from 9-10:30 a.m. in the North Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center.

If families don’t have an invite to Kappa Alpha or Phi Gamma Delta’s Family Dinners, they can take advantage of the close to 20 restaurants near the university and catch a view of Bear Down Friday’s pep rally show and activities on University Blvd until 7 p.m.

Other events on Friday include the Parents and Family Association Golf Challenge at Topgolf in the morning and The THINK TANK and the African American Student Affairs’ Open Houses in the early afternoon, located at the Bear Down Gym and MLK Center, respectively.

The College of Humanities, College of Education and College of Science are all hosting their own convocations to recognize high-achieving students. The ceremonies will be hosted at the Greek Heritage Park at 10 a.m. in Education Building Room 211 at 3 p.m. and the South Ballroom at 3:30 p.m., respectively, for the colleges.

From 4-5 p.m., students and their families can meet UA President Dr. Robert Robbins in the Sonora Room of the SUMC. Robbins with share his vision of the UA with families, who will also be given a chance to mingle with UA administration and faculty.

Families can round off the evening at an athletics challenge night, featuring zip lines and hosted by the Campus Recreation Center at the Rincon Vista Sports Complex from 7-9 p.m. Alternatively, families could head over to Centennial Hall to enjoy Wynton Marsalis’ “Spaces”, a suite of jazz music featuring dancers Lil Buck and Jared Grimes.

Game Day – Oct. 6

On Saturday, the UA football team will take the field to take on the University of California Berkeley at 7 p.m.

For $5, families can enjoy the Family Fun Zone on the UA Mall before the game, which will feature games, prizes and challenges for all ages.

Those who can make it off campus have the opportunity to the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning’s Desert Food Fiesta, located west of campus. Families will learn about the native foods found in the Sonoran desert.

While the Family Fun Zone is happening on the UA Mall, Theta Chi and Theta Xi will be hosting tailgates at their houses.

At 10 a.m. in the SUMC’s North Ballroom, the Honors New Student Induction where new students will be welcomed to the Honors College and hear from keynote author Robert Moor.

No official events are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7.

For more information on the events, please refer to the schedule on the UA Family Weekend website.

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