From a volleyball tailgate to bingo night, Point Loma Nazarene University’s Family Weekend last month gave families a glimpse into campus life through events organized by student leaders.
From Oct. 10-12, many activities were held on campus to bring together families for a time of connection. The Green Sea Hooligans, a spirit group within the Associated Student Body (ASB), helped lead some of the weekend’s activities.
Avery Plum, a third-year environmental science major and Hooligans member, said the tailgate and volleyball game were popular, where they featured snacks, music, games and face painting.
She said that for the Hooligans, having parents in the student section was exciting and created a new ambience.
“Having all of them sit in the student section with the Hooligans was a fun moment for everyone,” Plum said. “It created an atmosphere of everyone being excited to be at Loma.”
Another part of ASB is the Campus Activities Board (CAB), which plans and runs other PLNU events. They organized the Family Weekend “Bingo Night” that took place in the ARC. The CAB team was split up into groups where members set up the food table, seating areas and greeting table.
During the event, CAB members handled various responsibilities, such as distributing bingo cards, restocking the prize table and verifying the winners, all while also spending time with their own families.
Kate Goss, a second-year marketing and writing double major and CAB member, said she focused on managing her time between family activities and club responsibilities.
“Communication and making compromises were major in balancing family time while also helping with bingo night as a CAB member,” Goss said. “Being transparent with both parties about my priorities and commitments allowed me to have some flexibility in how I divided my time. It also helped that bingo night included and encouraged families.”
Goss’s mother attended Family Weekend, and Goss said seeing campus through her mother’s perspective was meaningful.
“I saw how much this weekend meant to my mom by her excitement to meet my friends and experience the liveliness of campus,” Goss said. “I hope that students take away how heartwarming it is for parents and loved ones to come on campus and feel connected to the community for a weekend.”
Goss said participating as a student leader added another layer to her experience of the weekend.
“As a student leader, I had the chance to promote and help run ‘Bingo Night,’ which allowed me to connect with more families,” Goss said. “Meeting with my peers, loved ones, from different backgrounds, made my experience so much more memorable and significant.”
Avery Neuenschwander, a third-year psychology major and CAB member, also highlighted the weekend’s sense of community.
“My favorite part of interacting with students and parents at this event was seeing them excited to be with each other and spend time in community,” Neuenschwander said in an email interview. “It was so fun seeing the students cheer on the parents who won bingo and vice versa. The loving community was so evident.”
Parents shared similar reactions to the event’s atmosphere. Christine Snyder, who attended Family Weekend to visit her daughter, said the experience gave her a glimpse of life on campus.
“Saturday, we attended ‘Bingo Night,’ which was so much fun,” Snyder said. “The energy and atmosphere were so welcoming, and a true sense of community was felt.”
Her daughter, Meg Snyder, a second-year psychology major, also shared an appreciation for “Bingo Night.”
“Bingo was fun because they had cool prizes to win, and it was a nice opportunity for them to meet my friends’ families as well,” Snyder said. “I loved showing them around campus so they could get a glimpse of why I love it here so much.”
Through these ASB weekend activities, families were able to engage with students and observe how they balance academics, extracurriculars and community involvement, according to Jong Yoon, resident director of Goodwin Hall.
“I think it’s important for families to experience life at PLNU alongside their students so they can better understand and support what their students are going through and point them to existing resources on campus,” Yoon said.
