“Parents come to the college and talk with your professors?! Isn’t college about independence?”
This is a common response I hear when I describe the unique tradition of Parents Weekend to friends at other colleges. The idea of parents traveling to spend an entire weekend on campus, and even attending “parent-professor conferences,” is foreign to most American college students. This is because most colleges accept federal funding, which prohibits professors from sharing classroom observations or grades with parents. So, why does Hillsdale host parents weekend once a semester? Do Hillsdale students agree with their peers elsewhere that it is a ridiculous tradition?
Hillsdale’s Parents Weekend is important and valuable for both parents and students. It builds upon the foundation and purpose of education at Hillsdale. Hillsdale understands the true definition of college as a “partnership.” This institution partners with students and their parents in an agreement to train the pupils in virtue and self-government. Parents Weekend allows Hillsdale to act on that partnership with the parents by sharing the experiences that their children have daily. Independence cannot be achieved without the transition into college and the development of self-government. This is a process, and Hillsdale invites parents to view that process in their children’s lives.
Parents Weekend also benefits students. After months away from home, the joy of seeing your parents and escaping for some good food refreshes students during the busy semester. A meal outside of Saga and on your parents’ dime, who would complain about that?
Even the parent-professor meetings are helpful for students. Every time I call my parents, I say numerous times, “It’s hard to explain, but you’ll understand after you meet him.” Sometimes, the stories I share are twice as long because I try to explain the personality or background of my professors or friends. After Parents Weekend, parents finally have a face for each name their child mentions over the phone, and they don’t have to ask, “Who is that again?” It’s also fun for students to meet their friends’ parents. Unlike high school, students don’t know their friends’ families. Meeting the parents allows for greater connection between friends because they, too, have a face to the name.
So, if your parents are here this weekend, be grateful for the unique and special opportunity to share your joys with them. Also, don’t forget the students whose parents could not make it for the weekend. Parents Weekend for those students is often one of the hardest weekends. Adopt your friends for the weekend and share the joy of escape and that free meal with them.
So, in response to my non-Hillsdale friends, I always say,
“Yeah! It’s called Parents Weekend! It’s so fun and really special that the college cares that much to host all the parents. I’m so grateful.”
