By Cristina Martinez
On any given weekend the quad that sits between Martin Hall and the Hardin Administration Building is so quiet that the water in Bolin Fountain can easily be heard splashing. This Saturday, Sept. 29 the scene will be entirely different when 1,400 students and their family members will gather in the quad for a day of free food, inflatables, and live music for the annual Family Day events.
Kevin Bazner, assistant director of student development and orientation, is in charge of making sure that Family Day is a first-rate experience for students and their families.
“It’s an opportunity for the students and families to come back to MSU,” Bazner said. “It’s sort of the time frame that a lot of parents notice separation anxiety so it’s a great time to bring everyone together to experience MSU and see how their student is involved on campus.”
Planning Family Day has taken more than six months and Bazner is not the only one responsible for making sure that the event is unforgettable. The University Programming Board also has a hand in ensuring that families leave on a high note.
“UPB plays an integral role in Family Day whether that is through the movie showing or some of the entertainment that we bring onto campus,” Bazner said. “Those are the students that really are behind making recommendations and making sure that we have movies and entertainers that resonate with the students and family members.”
Stephanie Shepard, a junior majoring in accounting, is the cinema novelty chair of UPB. Shepard said advertising the movie that’s shown during Family Day is the most time consuming part of her job because the movie choice was not up to UPB. Advertising for the event consists of posting the information about the showing of Disney’s “Brave” on Facebook and OrgSync.
Bazner said the Office of Student Development and Orientation chose the movie “Brave” because it is a family-themed movie.
“The specific movie for Family Day was already chosen so what we do at that point is take it and do what we have to do to promote it and make it successful,” Shepard said.
The benefits of Family Day are not limited to free food and entertainment though. There are more than 300 students that belong to the Greek community and they take advantage of the Family Day activities. Bazner said the event is a time that Greek members use to introduce parents to their students sorority or fraternity family.
Samantha Forester, a junior majoring in mass communication and president of Kappa Delta Chi said her chapter is also planning an awards ceremony that focuses on rewarding academic achievement of the members and coincides with Family Day. The event isn’t extravagant.
Forester said it is just a moment of recognition followed by a few snacks that the members volunteer to bring.
“Family Day takes the event planning off of our back and helps us focus on the times when we’re together with just our girls and their families,” Forester said
Family Day also gives girls who had previously thought about joining Kappa Delta Chi a chance to learn more about the sorority and its members, Forester said.
An event such as Family Day could be used as a way for the sorority to boost its recruitment numbers however the goal of Kappa Delta Chi is to focus on its current members and the event at hand.
Kappa Delta Chi is a multicultural sorority with members from different backgrounds and ways of life. Forester said there are members of Kappa Delta Chi whose parents were not raised in the U.S. so they sometimes do not understand exactly what being in a sorority means or what a sorority even is.
“We really value these events because they give the family members a chance to get to know us and learn what a sorority is all about,” Forester said.
Forester said without Family Day and the events that are planned with it, it would be difficult to get as many family members to attend a meet and greet.
This is only the second year that the quad has been utilized as the core of the event. The event was held in Sunwatcher Plaza, but the area was too small to hold the growing number of attendees. Bazner said this year’s Family Day could also become too crowded. However, he doesn’t see this as a negative issue. He said he believes the quad being congested with people is only an indication that Family Day is growing and a sign of good things to come.
The entertainment will not be limited to the quad however. Magician Daniel Martin will perform in Akin Auditorium. Disney’s “Brave” will be shown in Shawnee Theater. Football and volleyball teams will showcase their talent at Memorial Stadium and D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
The main event of Family Day is the football game at Memorial Stadium. The tailgate before the game will be buzzing with much of the same activities that are featured in the quad along with competitions for best tailgate design, best barbecue, best dessert and best overall tailgate.
On Sunday, when Family Day is over, families will leave campus and the quad that was so alive with activities will again be a quiet place. But on Monday morning Bazner and his group of volunteers from the Student Ambassadors will review the event. Because student service fees fund Family Day, it is important for Bazner and the volunteers to make sure that they have done everything to accommodate students and their families.
“We get a good idea of what worked and what didn’t and what we need to change for next year,” Bazner said.
Bazner said Family Day may be expanded to be more than a one-day event.
“I don’t want to give anything away, but it could possibly be in the works to expand Family Day into an entire weekend. We offer more than just football on this campus and it would be a good way to showcase those sports and other organizations,” Bazner said.
Family Day is a tradition that will continue to grow as long as we feed the fire. It can only get bigger from here and student participation is crucial to how big this event is and can be.
“It’s exciting that students get to experience what MSU really is all about. It’s about family and having a good time,” Bazner said.