by Evan Petrie
Family weekend is an important event for many Grinnell students because it gives them the chance to reconnect with loved ones and provides a break in the routine of everyday Grinnell life.
This year family weekend has been scheduled for the weekend beginning today, Oct. 10. The choice to schedule the event for this date has many students concerned for several reasons.
October 10 is usually the first payday of the year for campus jobs at Grinnell. Because of this the weekend following Oct. 10 has developed into a traditional weekend of celebration for many Grinnell students. Commonly referred to simply as 10/10, the weekend usually involves some of the heaviest drinking of the entire school year. Vice president of Student Services, Tom Crady, said, “We had an alcohol overdose associated with the party last year so we’re concerned about the event.”
When questioned about the scheduling conflict, Grinnell President Russell Osgood said, “I would have to say that in my five years I have never heard any discussion of avoiding the student partying.” But he added, “I am glad to know that it is something significant [to Grinnell students] and it will be one of the factors for me to think about in the future. But I can’t guarantee that there won’t be a coincidence of the two activities in the future because of the number of factors involved [with the scheduling of family weekend].”
Many students that wish to participate in the drinking are frustrated because having family here means that they will not be able to. Josh Katz ‘05 said, “It’s mean to students because many of them just want to party a lot when they get their paychecks.” He continued, “I won’t be going to the 10/10 party, or if I do it will have to be a lot later than normal.”
But it is the students who want nothing to do with the drinking that are probably more concerned with the scheduling of family weekend. Sarah Smith ‘07 had similar concerns saying, “It concerns me that parents will see all this beer, think that this is just a party school and wonder why they’re paying all this money to send us here.” Josh Katz ‘05 said.
Other students were not as concerned that it would be that big of a conflict. Joe Jankolovits ‘07 said, “My brother goes to a state school. It’s 10/10 everyday there so they [my parents] know what it’s like.”
John Richards ‘06 had similar feelings saying, “For me honesty is the best policy. Grinnell already has a reputation so anyone coming to Grinnell should know what to expect.”
Another issue of concern for the families of some students was family weekend being scheduled for the weekend before fall break. This discouraged some families from taking the time and expense to drive or fly out to Grinnell because in many cases families would be reunited the following week anyway.
Family weekend’s proximity to mid-semester also makes the timing difficult for students. Many classes have mid-semester exams or major papers due the week before fall break, meaning that students will have to try and juggle their schoolwork with spending time with their families. A fourth year student who asked not to be named said, “I think the scheduling is incredibly stupid. In fact, I called my family and told them not to come when I found out the date.” Cara Silverberg ‘07 added. “I think it could definitely have been scheduled better.”
In response to students concerns Director of Alumni Relations Rachel Bly said, “The dates of family weekend are chosen based on many considerations. We look at the college academic calendar, the athletic schedule, the schedule for religious holidays and this year we also considered the fact that the Du Bois symposium was being held on this weekend. We pick the weekend that best takes all of these factors into account.” She added, “Balancing family weekend between the beginning of the school and fall break is always a challenge.”
In order to try and avoid such scheduling conflicts in the future, Bly encouraged students to make sure that the activities they want to be taken into consideration are on the college calendar. Bly said, “The Office of Alumni Relations and Development is always looking for ways to better serve our constituents and we welcome suggestions.” Students wishing to contact the office can call x3206.
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