Parents of West Virginia University students will have a chance to walk in their son or daughter’s shoes next weekend (Oct. 14-16) as part of 2011 Fall Family Weekend.

The annual event, which is sponsored by the Mountaineer Parents Club, allows families to re-connect after eight weeks of classes during the fall semester. Family members from across the United States travel to Morgantown to spend an event-filled weekend with their Mountaineer each year.

This year is no different, as the Fall Family Weekend schedule continues to expand and grow to offer those in Morgantown next weekend an opportunity to enjoy campus life.

“Fall Family Weekend is a special time on our campus. For many families this will be the first time that they have seen their student since they dropped them off in August,” said Sabrina Cave, executive director of the Mountaineer Parents Club. “Students love showing off their new home away from home.”

Mountaineer families can enjoy a variety of events this weekend.

“We have great events planned campus and community wide,” Cave said.

A schedule of events follows:

All day Friday – Classes Without Quizzes
Attend and experience a class with your son or daughter and see first-hand who’s teaching them. Students must check with his or her instructor in advance.

6 a.m. to midnight throughout the weekend – Student Recreation Center opens to families
Enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities like swimming, basketball, the climbing wall or choose a group fitness class to take. Families will be permitted to use the facilities for free throughout the weekend.

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday – WVU Bookstore opportunities
Shop at the downtown WVU Bookstore beside the Mountainlair for official Mountaineer Parents Club and WVU merchandise. Remember to show your Mountaineer Parents Club membership card for a 10 percent discount.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday – Hall of Traditions
The WVU Hall of Traditions houses trophies, memorabilia and tributes to some of WVU’s greatest players. There is also a room to view the greatest moments in Mountaineer football history. It is located by the Milan Puskar Center at the football stadium.

4-6:30 p.m. Friday – WVU Career Services Center Open House
The “Chocolate Covered Careers” open house of the Career Services Center in the Mountainlair includes tours of the center and demonstrates the Center’s employment assistance software called MountaineerTRAK, among other activities. The event is sponsored by Hershey Foods.

5-8 p.m. Friday – Welcome Reception
Located in the Commons Area of the Mountainlair, this will be a great place to meet your son or daughter, mingle with WVU administrators and pick up Fall Family Weekend commemoratives. Representatives from Off-Campus Housing, Student Legal Services, Student Affairs Office of Retention and Research and more will be available to answer any questions, as well.

6-8 p.m. Friday – Family Night Dinner
Hatfields in the Mountainlair is offering a dinner menu with a Rock-n-Roll twist. Burgers, barbeque, foot-long hot dogs, fries, onion rings, pie and root beer floats will be available to munch on. Reservations can be made here: http://wvuecommerce.wvu.edu/index.cfm?do=store.store&id=780368412_13e13r

6-9 p.m. Friday – ArtsWalk
This year’s event, sponsored by Main Street Morgantown, Monongalia Art Center and Arts Monongahela, will take place downtown. You can stroll through over 40 downtown businesses and see artwork from local artists. Featured Artists for 2011 are John Skeen, Mike Green, Ann Payne and Penelyn Peterson.

7 p.m. Friday – Mountaineer Madness
Help tip off the 2011-12 basketball seasons at the Coliseum, as fans can watch as the WVU men’s and women’s basketball teams open preseason practice with team scrimmages, shooting competitions and a slam dunk contest.

7:30 p.m. Friday – Careers for Physicists Program
In Room G9 of White Hall, presentations will be given by different professionals with an emphasis on the future of physics careers.

8:30 p.m. Friday – Mountaineer Idol
In the Mountainlair, the University’s singing competition will give back to the community. In partnership with WVU Children’s Hospital and Jessi’s Pals, families are asked to donate at least one new stuffed animal or bring empty Coca-Cola bottles to raise money. A silent auction will be held featuring sports memorabilia, special gift baskets and other prizes from local vendors.

All day Saturday – Visit Coopers Rock State Forest
Check out the fall foliage at the state park located 13 miles east of Morgantown on I-68. There are several trails winding through the forest and over ridges to explore. It’s a short walk to the main overlook, which features a panoramic view of the gorge and distant horizons.

9 a.m. to noon Saturday: Residence Hall Activities
Enjoy breakfast and brunch at your student’s residence hall, meet their resident assistant, resident faculty leaders and their new friends, as well. Some halls ask that you make reservations in advance. For more information: http://familyweekend.wvu.edu/events/schedule_for_saturday

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Family Day at the WVU Farm
Check out a casual, family and health focused event including fun and hands-on activities and displays from the Davis College of Agriculture, Foresty and Consumer Sciences and WVU Extension Services. To pre-register: http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/sf/FamilyDayattheWVUFarmReg/.

Noon Saturday: HeartWalk
At the new WVU recreation fields near the Student Rec Center and Evansdale Residential Complex, students and their families are encouraged to participate in a 5K Heart Walk sponsored by WVU’s Student Government Association with support from the Mountaineer Parents Club and the Center for Civic Engagement. The entry fee is $20 per participant and $10 for students. Follow this link to register http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/parents/HeartWalkFFW2011/.

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday: College of Business and Economics Fall Family Welcome
Join the dean of the school, Jose Sartarelli, and several faculty members as they lead a series of sessions based on their curriculum and career opportunities available for students.

7 p.m. Saturday: WVU volleyball vs. Pitt
Come watch the WVU women’s volleyball team take on Big East rival Pitt in this volleyball Backyard Brawl. Click here to download a coupon for a free ticket to the game: http://familyweekend.wvu.edu/r/download/105859.

7 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday: WVUp All Night
Experience WVU’s nationally renowned program, WVUpAll Night, in the Mountainlair. Come enjoy comedians, movies Think Fast quiz, “Picture Yourself” key chains and much more. In addition, billiards and bowling are half-price and the food is free.

8 a.m. to noon Sunday: Religious Services
For information on local religious services, follow this link for more information: http://maps.live.com/localsearch/Default.aspx?what=Christian+Churches&category=561&cobrand=1&FORM=LLSV

1 p.m. Sunday: Fall Ring Day Ceremony
Ring Day is held each fall and spring to present those students who had attained junior status with class rings and to share the moment with family and friends. The event will be held at the Erickson Alumni Center.

The Mountaineer Parents Club, established in 1996 as a support organization for families of University students, now has more than 20,000 members and is free to parents of current and future students. For more on the Club: http://parentsclub.wvu.edu/

To see how the Mountaineer Parents Club has helped WVU families’ experiences, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DQ0qpbyE9KE.

-WVU-

td/10/07/11

CONTACT: Sabrina Cave, Mountaineer Parents Club
304-293-2506, Sabrina.Cave@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.