Mason Madness, Family Weekend Almost Here

By Broadside Correspondent Maria Cianfichi

The weekend of Oct. 17 to Oct. 19 is the eighth annual Family Weekend. The Office of Orientation and Family Programs and Services is the main sponsor of Family Weekend. While the OFPS coordinates the main events of the weekend, they work closely with a variety of other organizations around campus including Student Activities, Student Government, the Alumni Association, and the Office of Housing and Residential Life.

The goal of Family Weekend is to allow students and their families to reconnect at George Mason University, and feel a part of the Mason community. Often, this is the first time that many freshman students and their families are able to explore Mason since orientation.

In order to make Family Weekend 2008 a success, the OFPS staff has been working hard, planning and organizing since the start of summer. Some staff members have even been organizing various thoughts and ideas since April, said Assistant Director for Family Programs and Services, Katie Murray.

Veteran Family Weekend-goers will be pleased to see the return of several of Family Weekend’s traditional events. Mason Madness, arguably the weekend’s most popular event, will take place on Friday, Oct. 17. Pre-madness celebrations will start at 7:30 p.m. in the Patriot Center and will include light refreshments, face painting, prizes and a live performance by Sunset Shootout. Doors open at 9 p.m. and at 9:30 p.m.

Mason Madness will kick off the 2008-2009 basketball season. Mason Madness is an event not to be missed as it builds “spirit, excitement and a sense of community,” says Murray. Another Family Weekend favorite is the annual Book Presentation. This year’s presentation will feature author John Dau, who will be speaking about his memoir about three young Sudanese men, “God Grew Tired of Us.”

The memoir was made into a documentary and won the Sundance Film Award in 2006. Dau will be in the Johnson Center Cinema on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Returning again this year will also be the popular “Get Entertained” interactive family game show.

Held in the JC Atrium at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, families will be able to compete against other families and test their knowledge of Mason trivia. The winning family will receive a $200 cash prize.

In addition to Family Favorites, OFPS will be introducing several new events this year. On Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the North and South Plazas will be a “Taste of Fairfax.” This event will allow families to sample the local restaurants while conversing with academic deans, professors and staff.

While this event has been present in the past, this year it will be done on a larger scale and aims to be one of the more popular events of the weekend. Mason will also be welcoming comedian Lewis Black who will be featured at the Patriot Center on Saturday Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are already on sale and can be purchased either at the Patriot Center Box Office or at www.ticketmaster.com.
Mason students can purchase a max of two discounted ticketsto Black’s show in the Student Activities office in Student Union Building 1 Room 101 for $10.

For more information on Family Weekend, visit www.masonfamily.gmu.edu. Besides featuring a weekend schedule, the Web site provides links and information about hotel bookings for out of town family members. Murray urges “everyone: students, faculty and staff, to come out and be a part of Family Weekend. Even if your families will not be here, Family Weekend will still prove to be a good time.”