Liberty University welcomes over 1,400 families for Family Weekend, fosters parent-student partnerships

This past weekend, over 1,400 families visited Liberty University for Family Weekend, making memories with their students and taking part in the many activities the campus has to offer.

“Family Weekend is an opportunity for students to invite their families to come and visit Liberty,” said Tamatha Anthony, assistant director of Liberty’s Parent & Family Connections Office, which coordinates Family Weekend. “It’s an opportunity to check out some of the new places (the student) found on campus they enjoy, and maybe explore and discover something together. The intention is to come experience campus as a family.”

The event came about a month after freshman and returning students moved into their new home away from home, making the timing perfect to receive encouragement and support from their families.

“Some students feel homesick from the very first moment they step onto campus and their mom and dad say goodbye. Others are ready to go, excited, and they may not be feeling that homesickness quite yet,” Anthony said. “Typically, between weeks 5 and 8, students feel how heavy their (courseload) is, and the familiarity of home is definitely a draw. (Family Weekend) does help with the homesickness and kind of gives a little jolt to keep going.”

Families who registered for the weekend were given a full itinerary of weekend events (some offering discounts), including Convocation, Flames Football and Flames Hockey games, performances of the Alluvion Stage Company’s “Anastasia,” a TAYA concert, and more. They also had opportunities to enjoy the recreational activities that are offered to students year-round, like bowling in the Montview Student Union, visiting the Liberty Astronomical Observatory, tubing at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, and eating in Liberty’s new dining hall and other popular dining spots around campus. On Friday, Parent and Family Connections set up a welcome table in DeMoss Hall, where families could come and see a friendly face, receive a gift, and ask questions.

Julia Ferrante has a son who is a freshman pursuing Christian studies. She attended Family Weekend with her son’s aunt, Caroline, and they enjoyed touring the campus together, especially going to the top of the Freedom Tower and viewing the whole campus.

“It’s a beautiful campus. We went to the dining hall; the food was amazing. We went to the convocation as well, and that was beautiful.” Ferrante said. “It’s been amazing for my son; he’s so happy here. For me as a parent, just knowing that he is so happy and getting involved in so many things makes me happy too.”

Eric and Vernessa Edwards have a grandson, Keston, who is a freshman studying digital marketing. They said everyone they have met on campus has been very friendly, and Liberty has been efficient with informing them of important updates.

“The school is very communicative with much correspondence,” Eric said. “That’s helpful to keep us abreast of what he has to do in order to participate in whatever event is coming up; it’s been very advantageous.”

Anthony said linking families to Liberty’s resources is important for a student.

“A family can either help a student succeed, or they can be a barrier,” she said. “Depending on what a student’s family support looks like, that really impacts the student success. Being available to families to help guide their questions to appropriate offices really helps the student learn how to advocate and navigate for themselves. It builds that partnership between parent and student that should be happening at this time of the students’ lives.”

Parent and Family Connections offers an LU Family First-Year Experience series, where they send out monthly updates about what’s going on in the semester and how families can provide support to their student. The office also has a blog with tips and advice for first-time college parents, along with a monthly College Parent Newsletter featuring important guides and information, updates about timelines in the academic calendar, and prayer points related to their student’s experiences at Liberty.

For more information, contact LUfamily@liberty.edu or call (434) 582-2339.