Fun for the whole family

Kaitlin McCoskey – Staff Writer

As any college student can attest, one of the hardest parts about starting school is adjusting to life on your own in a new place. Such a major life change can be lonely and disorienting. So Gustavus is bringing a little bit of the comfort and familiarity of home to campus this weekend. Friday, October 8 will begin Family Weekend 2021.

Every year Gustavus invites the families of Gusties new and old to come visit campus. After about a month of classes, students have the opportunity to reunite with their families on campus and show them around. This is an especially important event for First-years just getting used to college life and for those students whose families live far away from campus.
Celeste Thalhammer is a Sophomore and will be her first family weekend on campus. “Last year was my first experience in college. It was really challenging,” Tahlhammer said. Tahlhammer says she understands how difficult being a first-year is, and although she doesn’t experience homesickness often, she can understand it from watching her friends. “Although I wanted the opportunity to grow on my own away from home, some of my friends were really struggling a lot with missing their families,” Tahlhammer said.
This year there are lots of exciting events planned for Gusties to reunite with their families. Garrett Meier ‘19 is the Assistant Director of Campus Activities, and as such has a hand in planning the whole event. He will be helping things run smoothly and hopes that Family Weekend will give students a chance to show their families the new places they’ve been and people they met.“It allows families to see all of the things that they normally only hear about over the phone,” Meier said.
Kali Johnson is a Junior working in CAB and played a part in planning this year’s Family Weekend. “I found a magician/hypnotist for the big show on Saturday night. Planning it was fun, I just kind of got to research and pick who I wanted.” Johnson said. Her favorite part of family weekend, both as a student and a CAB member, is involving her family on campus. “The thing I’ve liked about family weekend is that it involves my parents in the community, otherwise they wouldn’t have that tie to my school.” Johnson said.
Families are invited to shadow their student’s classes for the day and experience their academic courses firsthand. There will also be a showing of the movie Raya and the Last Dragon at the Wallenberg auditorium at 7 pm. Lastly, Gustavus’ LineUs improv group will be performing for students and their families at 8 pm at the Alumni Hall.
Saturday will be another day full of fun events. Among these are the city tour of St. Peter, an escape room put on by the Career Development Office, and a presentation on the history of Gustavus. The afternoon will include Fallfest, an all-ages carnival in the Linnaeus Arboretum, as well as tie-dying in Eckman Mall and a comedy show by Marcus Monroe at Bjorling Recital Hall.
The weekend will conclude with a series of musical showcases, including a jazz ensemble performance on Sunday October 10. If students or their families are unable to make it to the Family Weekend festivities, there will be several virtual tours and events taking place on the Gustavus website.
There is something for everyone this Family Weekend, so Gusties invite you families now to visit you on campus; it’s sure to be a fun weekend.