A guide to Family Weekend etiquette

When your parents and siblings are coming to Tucson for the weekend, how exactly should you get ready to reunite?

Do you hide all the beer bottles and lay books out instead? Do you proudly display craft beer bottles and hope your dad will give you a high five? Should you clean out your dorm or just avoid your room the whole weekend? Do you ignore your younger brother or take him to parties?

The Daily Wildcat asked around campus to help you decide how to approach and execute the best Family Weekend ever.

College is a time for growth and change, and it’s likely that you have already evolved during your first few months.

For freshmen or Family Weekend first-timers, many students offered similar advice.

“Just stay the same person you currently are,” said Cassandra Rosa, a sophomore theatre, film and television major. “I’m sure you’ve changed a little bit at this point, and your parents want to hear about it.”

A lot of parents come for Family Weekend to remember their own college experiences and to see how their children are performing away from home.

“It’s important to show them around and show them what I do, why I’m at school,” said Cortlyn Morales, a public health sophomore. Morales has five visitors arriving on Friday for Family Weekend—her mom and dad, uncle, her dad’s best friend and his wife are all coming. She plans on going out to dinner and lunch with her family and attending the UA vs. USC game on Saturday.

“This is the first year we’re all tailgating together, so it will definitely be interesting,” Morales said. “My dad’s friends are giant USC fans, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Morales, along with other students, suggested you clean up your living space before your parents come.

“I definitely have my room cleaned,” Morales said. “I think my mom would be so mad at me if she saw what my room looked like [before].”

Savanna Crumrine, a pre-nursing freshman, is planning on meals, a movie and the football game with her family this weekend.

“Just keep your room clean or your family will be annoying,” Crumrine said.

Mike Head, a philosophy sophomore, will have his mom in town this weekend.

“Your parents aren’t going to like how disgusting your house is, even if you don’t really notice it,” Head said. “Understand what they’ll like and dislike.”

Head said that if you know your parents won’t like alcohol or certain posters around the house, maybe you should take them down. Head will be hanging out, golfing and eating with his mother this weekend, and he plans to include his mom in the casual functions going on at his student-housing complex.

Rosa suggests freshman clean up their dorms in general.

“Use your parents [visiting] as a motivation to get clean,” she said.

Rosa plans on hanging by the pool, going to the football game and hiking, if she has time, with her family.

“I don’t bring my parents to parties, although they don’t care about partying,” Rosa said. “However, my sister who is 22 is visiting, and I’m bringing her.”

Overall, it may be a good idea to clean up your home before your family comes. Make sure you spend time with your family—events like football games are great places to share your college experience. And you know your family better than anyone—if you think you should recycle your glass bottles and accidentally leave your calculus test that you aced attached to the fridge, go for it. Family Weekend is all about showing your loved ones what is new in your life.

Let them know how to Bear Down the way you know best.

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