Some parents of West VirginiaUniversity students, as well as many WVU faculty and staff, had their own spring fling this past weekend (March 22-23) when more than 100 Mountaineer Parents Club officers nationwide came to campus to participate in the fourth annual ParentsClubUniversity.


“We had more than 100 officers from the Mountaineer Parents Club come to campus on the very last day of spring break,”said Susan Hardesty, national chair of the Mountaineer Parents Club and wife of WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.”What was equally impressive was the numerous WVU personnel, in addition to the whole Parents Club staff, who were present during the day to make sure parents had a good time and received lots of information.”


SabrinaCave, director of the Mountaineer Parents Club, agreed.


“We were thrilled to be able to sponsor this annual event,”she said.”Our officers work very hard during the year, and this is our way of paying tribute to their efforts. From the comments Ive heard from Parents Club officers as well as faculty and staff, they really enjoyed it too. And I was very impressed with the number of faculty and staff who gave up their last day of spring break to be a part of this occasion.”


The day began Saturday, March 22, at 9:30 a.m. when Susan Hardesty welcomed the crowd in the newly opened Life Sciences Building.


President Hardesty also spoke as did Duane Nellis, dean of WVU s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.


Participants enjoyed a presentation,”Find the World, Yourself and Your Future at WVU ,”including information from Cathy Yura, director of the Carruth Center, on psychological resources, and Tara George-Jones, from the Office of International Programs and Services, on studying abroad. Robert Kent, Career Services director, also provided information on how students and parents can work together to make career decisions.


There was also a tour of the new Life Sciences Building, and participants enjoyed a catered lunch in the Mountainlair, complete with entertainment provided by members of the University Choir, under the direction of Kathleen Shannon.


The WVU Book Store also opened its doors for parents interested in purchasing WVU items.


During the rest of the afternoon, officer workshops were held, and the day concluded with a wrap-up discussion and giveaways.


The Mountaineer Parents Club was established in fall 1995 by President Hardesty as part of a major student life initiative to improve the overall student life and learning experience and to involve families in the college experience. Today, the club has more than 10,500 members and clubs throughout the United States.


Major initiatives include establishment of a toll-free Parents Helpline staffed by a full-time parent advocate; a leisure reading collection at the Library; a newsletter, Web site and Parent E-news; a scholarship fund; summer sendoffs and winter fests; participation by parents on important University-wide committees; and more.


For more information, call 304-293-2506 or 1-800-WVU-0096.