Parents’ Weekend a Halloween trick-or-treat

In addition to this weekend’s Halloween festivities, students can expect another trick-or-treat: a visit from the parents.

Today through Sunday, thousands of moms and dads will be visiting UCLA to take part in the university’s ninth annual Parents’ Weekend. Bruin families will tour campus, attend faculty-led discussions and get a taste of student life by eating in the residential dining halls.

Event attendance is expected to break records. Already 3,475 guests, 400 more than last year, have preregistered, and even more are expected to arrive later this weekend. Based on the preferred mailing addresses of registered attendees, families from 33 states, Washington D.C. and five international countries will attend Parents’ Weekend this year, said Rhea Turteltaub, vice chancellor of external affairs.

This weekend, parents have the opportunity to partake in a multitude of campus activities. Today the faculty will be giving presentations on topics ranging from climate change to ancient Rome and hosting workshops such as “Hatching Ideas to Fill Your Empty Nest.”

New this year is a picnic lunch with the deans from the College of Letters and Science and professional schools that gives parents and students the opportunity to meet the dean of their college or department face-to-face and get advice from their academic counselors.

On Saturday, many parents and students will bus over to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the Bruins battle it out against the Wildcats of the University of Arizona.

For some students, such as first-year engineering student Dylan Aramburu, this visit is the first time they have seen their parents since the school year started.

“I haven’t seen my parents since August, so I’m really looking forward to showing them what I’ve been up to and introducing them to all the great friends I’ve made so far,” Aramburu said.

Parents of first-year students make up 75 percent of registered parents, a normal trend considering that many first-years’ parents are eager to learn more about UCLA, Turteltaub said. She added that most parents of upperclassmen are already familiar with the ins and outs of the Bruin life.

“My parents came for my first year, and they had a lot of fun, but now that I’m in my third year at school, they pretty much know all about the school and don’t need to visit me anymore,” said Morgan Kendall, a third-year physiological sciences student.

Stephanie Wong, a first-year undeclared physical sciences student, is looking forward to reuniting with her parents but said she would have preferred them to come on a weekend that did not conflict with Halloween activities and studying for midterms.

“I’m excited see them and show them around campus, but I feel like I would enjoy their company more if everything else wasn’t going on at the same time,” Wong said.

The Interfraternity Council asked fraternities to refrain from throwing any parties on the row this weekend. The only events permitted are those associated with Parents’ Weekend, said UCLA Interfraternity Council President Ramzi Dudum.

“As a community, we felt the best way to support UCLA this weekend was not to host parties, but rather events for parents to enjoy, like brunches,” Dudum said.

Turteltaub said she hopes new and returning families will feel a greater sense of connection to the university after this weekend.

“What parents discover over the course of this weekend is that the university can start to get very small very quickly. Before they know it, they’re a part of the Bruin family,” Turteltaub said.