After roughly seven weeks spent on campus, many Quinnipiac students needed a reminder of home. This came in the form of Parents and Family Weekend from Oct. 14-16. The University opened its scenic campus to a weekend of family fun, with weather that boasted the New England fall.

Students reunited with parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members, erasing weeks of pent up homesickness. Students and parents restocked dorms with homemade goodies, and parents were relieved to find their son or daughter still intact after about two months of living the college lifestyle. 

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The weekend kicked off Friday night with Bobcat Madness. This annual event, which takes place at TD Bank Sports Center, tipped off the start of the men’s and women’s basketball season and was a great way for students to show their parents the QU spirit. Parents and students quickly filled the stands, taste-testing Chartwells’ concessions and putting their freshman’s name in the ballot for a slim chance of making a half court shot for free tuition for one semester.

The night consisted of a pep rally, including numerous routines by the Quinnipiac Cheerleaders, IceCats, Kickline, Dance Company, Dance Fusion and Step to Perfection. Hosts gave out prizes in the form of $50 gift cards and QCash, and to everyone’s misfortune, the three freshmen picked to shoot a half court shot to recieve a semester free of tuition were unable to sink the dealmaker.

The men’s and women’s basketball coaches gave speeches encouraging students to come out and support the teams on the court this 2016-2017 season.

“Not only are these ladies great representatives of Quinnipiac University, they’re great student athletes. They ball,” head coach of the women’s basketball head coach Tricia Fabbri said.

Parents got to take a firsthand look at the pride Quinnipiac takes in its athletic department and in the University as a whole.

Junior guard Daniel Harris of the men’s team spoke these words of encouragement, “Here at Quinnipiac, we are one team, one heart.”

Following that Friday night, Quinnipiac laid out a stacked Saturday filled with various events for visiting parents and families. There was a scheduled breakfast and lunch, provided by the University, as well as various information sessions and interactive classrooms in the corresponding schools. The weekend also advertised athletic games and theater performances in order to give the parents and families a look into all that Quinnipiac has to offer.

While not everyone participated in the scheduled events and some students even went home for the weekend, those who did participate were given a glimpse of the life their daughter or son experiences here at Quinnipiac.

Kyle Petton is a freshman entrepreneurship major in the 3+1 business program, whose parents and younger sister drove roughly four hours from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to spend the weekend with him. They had planned on attending several University events, commenting on a particular interactive entrepreneurship class that was informative and interesting.

“[Quinnipiac] does everything top notch, it’s always very organized and very clean,” Petton’s mother said, complimenting the school’s scheduling of Parents and Family Weekend as well as other events.

Vanessa Harris, a sophomore pre-medical psychology major, participated in Parents and Family Weekend last year with her family, and was excited to see her parents at this year’s Parents and Family Weekend as well.

“We’re excited for the rest of the day,” Harris’ father said at the luncheon sponsored by the University. “We love  [Quinnipiac]. Vanessa is doing great so that’s a plus. She’s happy, so we’re happy.”

While the reunion may have been short-lived for some, the weekend gave families the opportunity to explore the local area as well as the campus. Hiking Sleeping Giant and eating at Eli’s on Whitney allowed students and families to catch up on weeks spent apart. With Parents and Family Weekend scheduled right in the middle of New England’s fall peak season, this two and a half day event caused more memories to be made and for the Quinnipiac University family to truly come together.