Students waved goodbye to their parents and siblings on Sunday after a lively and successful Family Weekend.
The weekend was filled with activities for students to attend with their family or just friends if family could not attend. The events included DePauwpalooza, the first home football game against Wittenberg University, a family picnic at Bowman Park and the Be Great Today 5K race.
Nearly 300 alumni and family members packed President Brian Casey's home, The Elms, Friday evening for a special dinner event. Casey said he began hosting families last year and this year's event elicited unexpectedly high attendance.
Among many other parents, Judge John Ross and his wife Judy Ross of St. Louis, MO. visited their daughter, first-year Emily Ross, over the weekend.
"We went to the football game. Although the score was not what we hoped for, it was a beautiful day for the game," John Ross said, "The DePauw team played hard and showed a lot of promise for the future."
DePauw football ended up losing to Wittenberg 45-0; however, the stands were full for most of the game as was the tailgating section in the parking lot.
"The festivities in the parking lot after the game, the camaraderie [of the football players] and the family environment was very clear and fun to see," John Ross said.
Initially Campus Life and Community Development representatives said they would close down tailgating events at 1 p.m. in order to encourage attendance at the sporting events, but no such measures were taken, Casey said.
"I think they were just playing it by ear," he said.
One potential problem was DePauw parents enjoying alcohol beverages and ensuring that they arrive back to nearby hotels safely, especially after a long tailgate.
Luckily, Director of Public Safety Angie Nally reported in an email that "Parent's Weekend did not generate any formal Public Safety interactions with individuals, students or parents."
This weekend there were also two men's soccer This weekend there were also two men's soccer games, both with wins from DePauw, along with one women's soccer game, a tennis tournament and two volleyball games.
Casey said he was pleased with the attendance at all sporting events, though he worried about having fans walking and tailgating in a construction zone.
"I think the combination of the parents, the sunny weather and the new field just made for a great tailgate experience," Casey said. "It was just unnerving having three sporting events going on in a construction zone."
Besides the Family Picnic, there was a "Little Sib's Pancake Breakfast" on the patio of the Hub Saturday morning. The pancake breakfast consisted of trays of hot pancakes, fruits, dessert sauces, honey butter and various types of maple syrups to put on top with hot chocolate to drink.
In addition, arts and crafts activities were set up for younger siblings. They had tote bags and hats to decorate, along with a raffle for DePauw clothing that everyone could enter for free.