Held from Friday to Sunday, Cyclone Family Weekend allowed parents to reconnect with their children.
Tracy Borts, the program director for Parent and Family Programs, planned the weekend’s activities and events. Borts’ main goal was to strengthen connections between students and families.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to see firsthand what their students are experiencing at Iowa State,” Borts said. “It gives families a chance to build stronger connections with the university, meet other Cyclone families and spend meaningful time with their student in their new home away from home.”
With attendance exceeding 1,000 families annually, Cyclone Family Weekend stands as one of the university’s largest events of the year. Borts said extensive planning and coordination are needed in order for things to run smoothly.
“We partner with student organizations, academic colleges, athletics and various university offices — collaborating with over 30 campus partners in total — to create a weekend that’s fun, welcoming and representative of the Cyclone experience,” Borts said.
During the weekend, families participated in events like bingo and Zumba, toured the campus and reconnected with one another.
Roman Postle, a parent of a first-year chemical engineering student, spoke about how he has missed his son.
“During his senior year of high school, we didn’t see each other as much as we did when he was younger, but he was always available. This is the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing my little buddy, and it drilled in how much I missed him,” Postle said.
Just as parents such as Postle miss their kids, first-year students also have been feeling homesick, and appreciate Cyclone Family Weekend as a chance to see their family again.
“It’s been difficult, but also a good experience. I am grateful my family could make it to campus, and having them see a snapshot of my day-to-day life was cool,” first-year fashion student Carson Kearns said.
While the activities and food are a bonus, the real treat is spending time with family, said Aaron Johnson, parent of a first-year design student.
“I really felt more connected to my student after coming to parents weekend because I got to see all of the places where their classes are, where they like to study, and spend some dedicated time talking about their coursework and what their social life is like on campus,” Johnson said.
As the weekend continues to bring families closer to their students, Borts is already looking ahead to how the event can evolve in the coming years.
“I’d love to see Cyclone Family Weekend continue to grow through increased campus involvement,” Borts said. ”While the weekend is especially popular with families of new students, we’d love to see it become an annual tradition for Cyclone families throughout their student’s time at Iowa State.”
