Parents spend the weekend at BC

Parents came from near and far this past weekend to experience a variety of activities for students and parents to enjoy together, giving moms and dads the opportunity to get a taste of Boston College life at the annual Parents Weekend.

This year's weekend was "a great success," according to Matthew Botica, head of the University's Parents Committee.

In addition to the BC-sponsored program, many parents and students took advantage of Boston by sightseeing and dining out.

Christine Gotshall, LSOE '06, spent Saturday in Boston with her parents, and then ate with her parents as well as her roommates and their parents in the North End.

"It was nice to give my parents a glimpse of my daily activities and introduce them to my friends so they could better understand what my life at BC is like," she said.

Many students enjoyed the opportunity to spend the weekend with their parents, shortening the time between the beginning of school and Thanksgiving break.

Some students noted an interesting difference between the freshmen and upperclassmen experience of Parents Weekend.

Matthew Borecelli, A&S '06, said that his parents "got to meet my close friends and their parents," whereas last year he attended most of the events only with his parents.

On Friday, parents followed their children to class and attended lectures specially geared toward conveying the "classroom experience."

The "Classroom Experience" program on Friday gave parents the opportunity to attend lectures for a sense of what goes on in a typical classroom at BC. Mary Lou Delong, senior vice president for University Relations, commented that there was a great turnout of parents for these lectures, was barely any standing space could be found.

Friday night marked the 11th annual Pops on the Heights Scholarship Gala concert in Conte Forum.

The Boston Pops, led by conductor Keith Lockhart, delivered memorable performance for a sold-out show with 9,000 people in attendance. BC's own University Chorale accompanied the orchestra on a few pieces.

A highlight of the show was the appearance of soloist Linda Eder, whom Lockhart called "a diva in the truest sense of the word." A powerful singer and Broadway veteran, Eder lit up the stage with her performance.

The event raised $1.37 million toward scholarships. Since the beginning of the Pops tradition, the event has awarded 294 scholarships to 138 students. There were 40 scholarship winners this year, 12 of whom were newly awarded recipients.

The evening began with a pre-festival featuring the BC Marching Band outside of Conte Forum, and three a cappella groups, the Dynamics, the Heightsmen, and the Bostonians, performed inside the venue.

Saturday afternoon's football win against Ball State was not the typical football game for BC students. The SuperFan section of the stadium was less dense than normal, as SuperFans spread throughout Alumni Stadium to sit with their parents.

Prior to the football game, families attended the Maroon and Gold Tailgate and the BC Fanfest in the Plex.

At the Fanfest, attendants could meet the cheerleaders and Baldwin, as well as play a number of carnival games.

The Maroon and Gold Tailgate hosted 2,200 people in a pre-game meal of hotdogs, hamburgers, barbecued chicken, pasta salad, fruit, and desserts.

Sunday's Parents Weekend Mass was moved from O'Neill Plaza to Conte Forum due to inclement weather. Rev. John J. Paris, SJ, delivered the Mass's homily to a crowd of 3,500 people.

The service was followed by an afternoon brunch, providing parents and students the chance to meet and eat with University President Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ.

Participants enjoyed the meal as Leahy spoke on the many projects BC has undertaken to raise its standards in and out of the classroom.

The weekend came at just the right time, students said.

"Its during Parents Weekend that you realize how much your parents love you when they say you are missed," said George Jasinski, A&S '06.