Family Weekend to be Rebranded as “Glory Days” Fantasy Camp

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Texas A&M University’s 2021 Family Weekend saw record numbers in both attendance and participant satisfaction. The chief reason cited for enjoyment by visiting parents was the opportunity to go on a Northgate bar crawl for the first time in decades.

“I graduated from Texas A&M years ago, and since then I haven’t had much of a chance to go binge drinking,” said Mike Mille ’84, who returned to College Station to spend Family Weekend with his son and daughter. “Coming back here and drinking a couple of pitchers at the [Dixie] Chicken with the boys and going off to Shiner [Park] to chase some tail reminded me what I loved so much about college in Aggieland.”

Similar sentiment was expressed in exit surveys by many parents, both former students and first time visitors of the university. In response to this positive reception, university officials have moved to rebrand Family Weekend as a “glory days” fantasy camp in order to keep the current attendance and satisfaction numbers trending in the right direction.

“Family Weekend is a tradition that has existed at Texas A&M University since 1919, but like other traditions, it needs to change with the times,” said Jackie Carthell, a spokeswoman for the university. “Texas A&M University prides itself on making its visitors feel welcome, and what better way to do that than to make them feel like students again?”

The new branding will be topped off with a name change and tagline. This year, Family Weekend will be referred to as Parents Weekend: Live Like a Student Again for all marketing purposes.

 

— Kushing Library