The UCA campus will see a carnival-like atmosphere on Saturday as the university hosts the 2012 Family Day, a day in which students, parents and children can take advantage of free food, games and UCA Bears football.
The tailgating for the Bears game that starts at 6 p.m. will begin at noon and the concessions and games for Family Day will begin at 2 p.m. on the practice field west of Estes Stadium. Games include an inflatable slide and obstacle course, horse rides, sand art, a rock wall and carnival booth games while live music will be provided.
The registered student organizations around campus will also be hosting activities for the Family Day participants as well such as face painting, baggo and a photo booth.
Aside from the games and food, the participants of Family Day will also have academic showcases available where they can learn about the different academic programs from each college around campus. Some hands on examples that they could be exposed to would be skeletons, optical illusions and even live animals.
Meghan Thompson, coordinator of the event, said she expects the families that attend to be excited and feel at home.
“For many families, the last time they were at UCA, they were dropping off their student amidst the hustle and bustle of orientation and welcome week,” she said. “Now that we are all settled into the academic year, Family Day gives the students an opportunity to invite their parents and guests back to campus. This event allows UCA to show appreciation for the families that support our students by providing a day full of activities, entertainment, food and bear spirit. We want the parents and guest of our students to feel the warmth and support of their students’ new home.”
Gary Roberts, Dean of Students at the university, said the event helps ensure success in college and is a comforting event for freshmen.
“The most important goal is to connect parents and other family members with UCA students to enhance their success at the university. There are many benefits of having Family Day at UCA. Most important, it promotes support for entering freshmen,” he said. “It gives parents an opportunity to interact with university administration, faculty and staff. It is a source of revenue to the City of Conway and helps with attendance at our Bears football game.”
Bear Facts Day is also to be hosted during this time, so prospective students will get to see what the university is about through school spirit and unity of parents and students.
For a full schedule of the day’s events, visit https://uca.edu/go/familyday/.
