West Virginia University head basketball coach John Beilein will join President David C. Hardesty Jr. and his wife, Susan, in greeting parents and students at a Mountaineer Parents Club pregame pizza party Saturday, Feb. 26, in the Shell Building next to the WVU Coliseum.
The event is just one of many activities planned for the Mountaineer Parents Club Winter Weekend, a three-day event designed to encourage parentsparticipation in WVU intellectual and extracurricular life.
From a WVU -Rutgers basketball game to special art exhibits, families will have the chance to experience what their sons and daughters experience, discovering firsthand what makes WVU such an extraordinary university,said Sabrina Cave, director of the Parents Club.
Throughout the weekend, parents will have free access to the Universitys 177,000-square-foot Student Recreation Center, where they can walk on the indoor track, try their hand at the 50-foot climbing wall or relax in the whirlpool.
Additionally, they are invited to browse the WVU Bookstore and take advantage of a 10 percent Parents Club discount offer.
They can also attend WVUp All Night, the Universitys award-winning weekend alternative to the typical college weekend scene, which gets under way at 8 p.m. each night with free snacks and family-oriented activities in the Mountainlair student union. Friday is Monte Carlo Night with casino-themed activities while Saturdays highlights will include Jabali Afrika, a unique mixture of African rhythms and dancing.
While at the Mountainlair, families are encouraged to visit a special traveling exhibit devoted to the Marshall Plan. The exhibit, on loan from the U.S. Department of States Diplomacy Center, will be on display at the Student Gallery. It tells the history of the plan that rebuilt Europe at the end of World War II.
Also at the Creative Arts Center, the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the most important artists to burst onto the 1980s art scene, will be on display. Both exhibits are free.
On Saturday, families will begin gathering for the pregame pizza event at noon in the Shell Building. Joining families will be Coach Beilein and members of the mens basketball team; President and Mrs. Hardesty, national Parents Club chair; the Mountaineer mascot; cheerleaders; pep band; and dance team.
There will be lots of great giveaways, Cave added, and Zides Sport Shop will have a table set up where people can purchase WVU merchandise.
Tipoff for the WVU -Rutgers basketball match-up is 2 p.m.
At halftime, the College of Human Resources and Educations Alumni Association will also host a reception for families of HR&E students in Room 244 of the Coliseum.
Matt Wells, assistant sports marketing director, said games that fall during Parents Club weekends are always extremely popular. In fact, sales for this years game package
have reached 1,600-plus, surpassing the previous years high of 1,400. Only a limited number of tickets remain, he said.
A discounted ticket order form was mailed to all Mountaineer Parents Club members. For more information, contact the Parents Club office at 304-293-2506 or e-mail ParentsClub@mail.wvu.edu . Tickets ordered between now and game day will be available for pick-up at thewill callwindow at the Coliseum.
The weekend is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with students, whether they started this semester or they are preparing for graduation in May,Cave said.We
look forward to welcoming parents to campus.
A complete schedule of activities is available online athttp://www.wvu.edu/~parents/eventsnews.htm.
The Mountaineer Parents Club is now in its 10 th year. Since the Hardestys created the organization in July 1995, the club has grown to 13,000 members, with 62 local clubs and 18 state chairs coast-to-coast.
One of the first such organizations in the nation, the Mountaineer Parents Club has led the way in parent support services, including the toll-free Mountaineer Parents Club Helpline (800-WVU-0096), answered by Parent Advocate Susan Lantz.
Other initiatives include a Leisure Reading Library organized by the Parents Club in the Downtown Library Complex and Evansdale Library for WVU students, faculty and staff; a parent newsletter published three times a year; and regular Parent Electronic News updates.
The days of PTA newsletters are a distant memory, but I still want to be aware of whats happening at my daughters school,said Wendy Hinerman of Wheeling.The e-mails (and other information) from the Mountaineer Parents Club are timely and informative. I truly appreciate this connection to West Virginia University.
Cheryl Costello of Weirton said the Parents Club has allowed her to stay involved in her daughters education and interact with other parents sharing the same experience.
I am thankful that the Parents Club provides us with information that allows me to stay involved with my childs education, while not having to impose upon her,Costello said.