UI’s annual Moms’ Weekend, which begins Friday, will host a wide variety of events targeted at not just the mothers of the Vandal faithful, but anyone and everyone interested in attending.
“Most of these events are not just for moms and their students,” said Mia Goodwin, the event coordinator of Moms’ Weekend for the Student-Alumni Relations Board (SArb). “Even though it’s Moms’ Weekend, a lot of these events are for really everyone.”
Goodwin detailed the many events planned for 2018’s Moms’ Weekend, from Phi Delta Theta Fraternity’s Turtle Derby to a wine and cheese tasting hosted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences planned for Friday night.
Goodwin said while it can be difficult to gauge the number of mothers expected to attend, she said she hopes a majority of participants arrive on the Palouse on or before Friday, when a bulk of the events are set to take place.
This year, Goodwin’s first on the job, has been full of alumni events that SArb has been tasked with coordinating. After graduating in May, Goodwin said she was soon hired to plan both Moms’ and Dads’ Weekend as well as UI’s Homecoming. Goodwin said she worked closely with Alexis Murray, SArb’s treasurer and student ambassador for Moms’ Weekend.
Murray said her positive experiences participating in Moms’ Weekend in the past motivated her to take on a larger role with coordinating.
“I always had a good experience with it, so I thought I would help, because I’ve been here before,” Murray said. “I kind of know how Moms’ Weekend rolls and I thought it would be a fun experience.”
Murray, who said she loves getting a behind-the-scenes look at one of UI’s bigger events, said Moms’ Weekend is a great way for parents unfamiliar with the Palouse to get better acquainted with campus.
“I think it’s really important for students to be able to show their moms what the university is like,” Murray said. “I think it’s really important to throw these large events so that students have something to bring their moms to. That way, it’s just a normal weekend of having your parents. It’s like the school is showing off its Vandal pride. It’s important for parents to see that.”
Murray, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, belongings to the house in charge of Mr. Idaho, a men’s beauty pageant for UI’s fraternity members. Goodwin said events like this are what make Moms’ Weekend great. However, Goodwin said SArb’s main mission this year was to expand the event’s reach and make it more appealing to those who haven’t taken on the title of “mom.”
“That’s something that SARB and the Alumni Office are actually working on, is having events geared towards everyone,” Goodwin said. “That’s kind of a work in progress for next year’s Dads’ Weekend and Moms’ Weekend. We’re still sticking with the same format that we have in the past, but I know that our goal moving forward is to have a broader list of events that more people will be excited for.”
Murray’s fellow sorority member, Katie Putzier, said she was excited for her mom to participate in the family’s second consecutive Moms’ Weekend.
She said her and her brother, a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, both enjoyed the rare time they get to spend with their mom.
“I’m mostly excited to spend time with her,” Putzier said. “There’s lot of different activities offered for Moms’ Weekend, so I think they’ll be a good choice to choose from. It’s just really fun that everybody’s moms are super excited to come up. I know a lot of universities don’t really do a parents’ weekend in general. I think it’s cool that the University of Idaho does it so we can show off our Vandal Pride and how much we love our university. They get to come up here and experience the culture with us.”
Goodwin said because of the numerous Vandal families that attend, she could not foresee merging Moms’ and Dads’ Weekend into one event, much like Oregon State and Washington University have done. However, she said big changes could be expected further down the line.
“In the next two years, I can still see it being a Moms’ Weekend and Dads’ Weekend, just because that seems really popular with our parents,” Goodwin said. “I can see that maybe five or 10 years down the line, but we’re still going to have the two separate weekends, at least at the moment. But, it is a trend.”
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill