Westmont Magazine Calling All Parents
Once a year, Westmont invites parents to campus to see their students’ home away from home. During Parent’s Weekend 2000, March 10–11, mom and dad can find out for themselves what life at Westmont is really like. They hear about it on the phone, they read about it in letters and e-mail, but for two days they can experience it first-hand.
“As parents, we find it is easier to pray for our children when we can picture their circumstances in our mind. Visiting the campus and going to a few classes really helps,” says Bruce Bickel, parent representative on the Westmont Board of Trustees and chair of the Westmont Parents Council.
During the weekend, parents discover just how busy their sons and daughters are. On Friday, they can accompany their students to one or more of their rigorous courses or attend a mini-class taught by a Westmont professor and designed just for parents. Seeing their students in action in the classroom allows them to engage in ideas that students and faculty discuss throughout the semester.
The Parents Weekend experience extends beyond academic settings to the larger Westmont community. Students frequently get involved in Christian Concerns and other clubs and activities offered on or off campus, and parents may join in some of these events.
Spring is an especially hectic time for students, so parents must be prepared to encounter disheveled bedrooms and wardrobes. Trying to balance studies, Potter’s Clay, spring formal plans, and of course, Spring Sing, may leave little time for cleaning house.
While college officials know parents want most to spend time with their students, they have planned some activities for times when students may be in class or at Spring Sing practice. Mom and dad can learn more about future plans for the campus during the Westmont in the 21st Century Tour. They can experience the college’s strong arts program by seeing an art exhibit by senior art majors or attending a performance of “The Misanthrope” by theater students.
“Just when you think Parents Weekend couldn’t get any better, you go to Spring Sing. That will put a smile on your face that lasts for weeks,” Bickel notes.
Except for the need to make their beds, students are always happy to see their folks because they know they will get to sample some of the wide variety of excellent cuisine in Montecito and Santa Barbara.
Westmont sees this weekend as a time for fellowship and encouragement between parents and students. Parents Weekend aspires to bring families together to provide an opportunity for students to share their lives with the ones they love the most.