Ohio State’s Parent and Family Weekend hosts multiple events throughout the weekend to show families what students expereince. This year Parent and Family Weekend will be held on Oct. 18 and 19th. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Office of Student Life

Move over Homecoming, it’s time for Parent and Family Weekend. 

Parent and Family Weekend Friday and Saturday will offer organized on-campus activities, game day fanfare, distinguished faculty talks and off-campus experiences for students and their families, according to the Parent and Family Relations website. 

Parent and Family Weekend will begin Friday with registration — which families only have to do once over the course of the weekend — followed by lunch and a tour of the Faculty Club, offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ryan Lovell, senior director of parent and family relations, said the university values its connection with students’ families. 

“Our driver behind family weekend is to really provide families with a snapshot into the lives of their student, so that they can better understand their student’s experience, which then will help them support that experience while they’re at Ohio State,” Lovell said. 

Students and their families will have the opportunity to visit the Off-Campus Living Expo from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday in the Ohio Union.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, families can visit exhibits at the Wexner Center for the Arts and tour Ohio Stadium. 

Although Ohio State will play at Northwestern Friday night, Parent and Family Weekend will feature a pregame pep rally and a game-watch tailgate at the Ohio Union. 

“Hopefully, we have the fun of a win over Northwestern on Friday evening, where families can kind of really experience that Buckeye spirit that exudes in everything that we do, but oftentimes is really driven when the football team is beating Northwestern,” Lovell said.

Women’s field hockey is also an option for families, as the team plays at 3 p.m. Friday at Buckeye Varsity Field, and Ohio State men’s hockey takes the ice at 7:30 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center. 

Lovell said Saturday’s programming has a more educational tone. 

Saturday’s events will kick off with a university leadership breakfast and conversation with college deans and faculty in the RPAC. 

After breakfast, families can break off into distinguished faculty talks from 11:15 a.m. to noon, followed by family photos with Brutus. 

Lunch will have three options: A legacy meal to celebrate families with generations of Buckeye graduates, a meal for out-of-state families and a “culinary creations” lunch. Reservations are required for all, and space is limited. 

“Our legacy event and our out-of-state event really allow those special populations of students whose families went here, or who are from distant Buckeyes, to feel a better connection to the university through their experience,” Lovell said.

The afternoon will offer out-of-classroom Ohio State experiences — all of which have already reached capacity — and life-outside-of-the-classroom events, including information about maximizing careers; making the most of your first year; Greek life overview and house tour; Ohio State’s alternative break program, Buck-I-Serv; what parents should know about moving and living off-campus; and study abroad. 

Other athletic events to wrap up the weekend include men’s hockey at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Schottenstein Center and women’s volleyball at 7 p.m. at the Covelli Center. 

Lovell said the events cover a wide range of topics to provide families with a window into their student’s lives. 

“We try to diversify the programming to hit all of those different aspects of the student’s experience at the university,” Lovell said.