Rob, Lucas, Nick and Cheryl Cain watch a printmaking process during Parent and Family Weekend on Oct. 23, 2016, at the printmaking studio.
File photo / The Shorthorn staff
New Student, Transition, and Family Programs is hosting its 20th edition of Friends and Family Weekend on Friday and Saturday.
Friends and Family Weekend provides students and their families with activities and events to enjoy at UTA, such as EXCEL Campus Activities’ Fright Night haunted house and planetarium shows. To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the event, this year’s edition is 2000s-themed.
“The main purpose for family weekend is to give families a time to reconnect with their student, reconnect with the campus,” said Lauren Puls, assistant director of parent and family engagement. “If you think about it, the other times they’re coming to campus, it’s for a tour and then orientation.”
Throughout the weekend, students’ families can expect a screening of Pixar’s “Cars” in the Lone Star Auditorium in the Maverick Activities Center, roller-skating, 2000s trivia and more. Puls said on-campus events and downtown activities are available for families to enjoy as well.
“Families get to really create their own itinerary, if you will, for a family weekend,” she said. “We try to offer a lot of different things for everyone that has different interests.”
Tickets are free for UTA students and children 5 years old or younger. Parents and other family members can register online.
The $75 Maverick Pass is for ages 18 and up and gives families entry into activities Friday and Saturday, brunch on Saturday and dinner on Friday and Saturday.
The Spirit Horse Pass is for ages 18 and up and is $55. With the pass, families get access to events, brunch and dinner Saturday.
The $45 Blaze Pass is for ages 6 to 17 and gives entry into the same events and meals as the accompanying adult.
All passes include an event T-shirt.
Registration is available through the Maverick Family Connection Portal. Students and children should be included on the form, according to the event website.
“That social support is so important for a student to remember their why of why they’re getting their education and who has their back,” Puls said.
@kh.kennedyharvey