First-Year Parents to Invade Harvard

More than 1,000 proud parents of the Class of 2003 will visit Cambridge this weekend in an attempt to discover--in just two days--what the first-year experience at Harvard is all about.

This morning marks the beginning of Freshman Parents Weekend, an event packed with panels and receptions explaining to parents what they are getting for their tuition buck.

Director of the Parents Association Julia G. Fox said the wealth of events accessible to parents this weekend will present them with as wide an array of choices as their children encountered six weeks ago during Shopping Period.

"We can only give them a snapshot of Harvard," Fox said. "We encourage parents to look at all that's available to them and choose what's most interesting, or things they know nothing about."

Today's events include panel discussions on the "Physical and Emotional Health of College Students" and "On Teaching and Learning," as well as receptions with proctors and officials from the Freshman Dean's Office.

Tomorrow's schedule contains a picnic lunch in the Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis Facility, as well as free admission to Harvard museums and the Harvard-Dartmouth football game.

Notably, a panel on campus security--following a series of Yard break-ins this month--is not included in this weekend's schedule.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 made several personal recommendations to first-year parents in an e-mail message to The Crimson.

In particular, Lewis advised attending this afternoon's discussion by Dillon Professor of International Affairs Jorge I. Dominguez, entitled "Joining the Fellowship of Educated Men and Women." He also recommended tomorrow's speech by Professor of Education Richard J. Light on "Making the Most of First-Year Choices."

"[Parents] want to feel a little part of what their children are experiencing (not counting hour exams, of course)," Lewis added. "If the weather is good, just walking around Harvard and maybe going to a concert or athletic event can be fun."

According to Associate Dean for Extracurricular Activities David P. Illingworth '71, the important things to see will differ from family to family.

"Parents should try to go to classes and see whatever activities their kids are interested in," Illingworth said. "They should ask what matters most to their children."

Radcliffe spokesperson Michael A. Armini, a first-year proctor in Grays Hall, said students should give parents a feel for their typical routine.

"In addition to all the formal events, it's important for parents to take a look at their children's daily lives--where they eat, work, study, and play," Armini said. "It's a good weekend for students to take their parents around, and not vice-versa."

"It's important to keep in mind that this is a social weekend, and not a chance to go over placement tests or Advanced Standing," Armini added.

Lewis advised parents to gain a sense of the history of which their children have become a part by attending Harvard.

"Every parent should see the list of people who lived in their child's room in the past, and think about the fact that a hundred years from now, some other parent will be handed a similar list and might say, 'Gee! Mary Jones lived in this room!'" Lewis wrote.

For $10, parents can purchase dinner in historic--and crowded-- Annenberg Hall.

On the other hand, some first-year experiences are better explained over a meal elsewhere.