With the 2019 fall semester coming to a close, the University of Idaho will take part in the newly renamed “Parent and Family Weekend.”
After having “Dad’s Weekend” and “Mom’s Weekend” for the past decade, the university has taken a step to be more inclusive when it comes to inviting students’ loved ones for the weekend.
For some students, it may have been easy to feel left out during the split weekends if they didn’t have a relationship with their mom or dad.
According to the 2016 United States Census Bureau, between 1960 and 2016 the percentage of children being in a family with two parents dropped from 88% to 69%.
Throughout the same time, the number of children living with only a single mother has almost tripled from 8% to 23%.
While the overall majority experienced a childhood with two parents, there are still many who grew up in different familial environments.
Making the simple change to “Parent and Family Weekend” is a smart move by the university to add more inclusivity to the Idaho campus.
This allows for students to not feel so alone amidst the busy weekend and be around their loved ones.
The name changes to “Dad’s Weekend” and “Mom’s Weekend” occurred in the ‘90s during a time when there was an uptick in divorce rates.
While divorces now seem to be increasingly commonplace, it’s a step in the right direction for the university to be more inclusive and make the name change to “Parent and Family Weekend.”
For some students, they might have a better relationship with other loved ones compared to just their parents.
When considering family and loved ones, some people have closer connections with outside relatives and friends than with their own parents.
The weekend is an opportunity for students to reconnect with loved ones and have a weekend to relax before the horrors of upcoming finals linger around the corner.
The university needs to continue making steps to allow more inclusivity through these events and more avenues for students to enjoy time around campus with their loved ones.
It’s crazy how a simple name change can make things feel more inclusive, but the university now needs to prove their actions in offering various events that includes all family members.
Some of those changes are already being made — Donuts with Dads, for instance, changed to Builders and Bagels.
Other inclusive activities include Paint with your Parents events and various concerts throughout the weekend.
Having the events be more inclusive also provides the opportunity for more people to visit the campus and participate in events. And most importantly, more people will pay for certain weekend events, including the Vandal football game.
Throughout the semester, the university has begun to make slight program changes to become more inclusive, and the name change to “Parent and Family Weekend” continues the smart step in the right direction for the University of Idaho.
— Editorial Board