Many students have a wonderful opportunity this weekend to showcase to their parents their home, their current life, the result of their secondary education, and the destination of their parent’s hard-earned money. For freshmen, especially, family weekend is likely the first in-person interaction with their parents since August. We all have our own lives now, independent of our home life, which our parents and siblings are dimly aware of. Hopefully, we’ve all personally grown and found a passion here. This is the time to show to our families what our life is in a way that is much more than a conversation at home can bring, and to help them realize and experience the nuances of college life.

Being open with your family can bring mutual benefit. Our parents can live vicariously through us, so giving them a sense of our achievement will bring them happiness. Their willingness to continue to send us here is at stake. The direction of our adult relationship with our parents starts with college. It is unfortunate for those who live too far away or whose parents can’t make it for other reasons. We strongly recommend making an effort to inform their parents of their college life the next time you see them. Poor decisions made now about relationships with parents may be a source of lasting later regret.

For Greeks, especially pledges and the newly initiated, dispelling the mystery and confusion of the nature of the Greek system should be a priority. This is a chance to sell your house to your parents and to convince those against Greek life that it is a redeeming institution.

We also recommend taking the opportunity to get off campus and spend some quality time with your family, if time allows. Take the chance to eat in downtown Troy with your parents or take a drive to see the fall colors. Breaking the monotony and getting away from campus can be a very refreshing experience. Of course, this is not to take away from showcasing the campus to our families; both should be included in the weekend’s activities.

We hope for the best this weekend, that it may meaningfully re-connect students and parents.