Winthrop University held its first Virtual Family Week, from Oct. 5-10, hosted by the Office of New Student and Family Programs and the Family Day committee.
The tradition of Family Day began in 1936 by President Shelton J. Phelps. It is usually held on a single day, and families of students can visit the campus. Because of the pandemic, things had to be done a bit differently.
“This year, Family Week [was] a week-long virtual experience, as opposed to the typical, one-day, in-person event we hold on the first Saturday in October. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to host 1000+ students and family members that we usually have come to campus, so we [offered] many different virtual live and pre-recorded events. Also, Family Day usually has a cost for attending, while this year, Virtual Family Week [was] completely free of charge,” said Renea Norcia, a graduate associate of New Student and Family Programs.
Since families were not able to come to campus this year, Winthrop held a variety of activities that could be accessed virtually.
“Families [had] the opportunity to learn about Winthrop history, campus updates from Winthrop Leadership, international alumni experiences, campus sustainability efforts, how to begin researching their family history, highlights from each of
the academic colleges, and so much more,” Norcia said. “Students [were] welcome to participate in events with or without their families.”
On Oct. 1-5, there was a Mac-N-Cheese recipe competition held by Winthrop Dining Services. Students and their families submitted their favorite recipe by Oct. 1. Three of the best recipes that were submitted were chosen by Winthrop’s Chef Jackson and the winners’ recipes were featured in Thomson from Oct. 6-8.
Students and faculty were able to taste and vote for their favorite mac-n-cheese recipe. On Oct. 9, the winning recipe was announced through @WinthropDining1 on Instagram. The winning family received a prize and will get to have their mac-n-cheese served in Thomson three more times throughout the semester.
The Winthrop Bookstore held a spirit week that students could participate in, with each day throughout the week having a theme. Oct. 5 was Blackout Monday. On Tuesday, Oct. 6 students wore their Winthrop Sports apparel. Oct. 7 was Comfy Wednesday, where students wore their most comfortable Winthrop clothes. Oct. 8 was Throwback Thursday, where students were encouraged to wear their Winthrop College attire. Oct. 9 was Garnet and Gold Friday, and students wore their school colors to show their Winthrop pride.
Each day, the bookstore held a giveaway and anyone who wanted to participate could post a photo on Instagram of them following the theme of the day with the hashtag #WUBookstoreFam2020.
During the week, families could also submit their family photos to the WU Family Programs Facebook page. Whichever family’s photo had the most likes by Friday would be mailed a prize.
There were several other events held during the week as well. Families could learn about the history of Winthrop through the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections which offered several virtual exhibits giving information about Winthrop history and memorabilia. The Archives also held a Family History 101 via Zoom where families could learn about the basics of genealogy with the director of the Archives, Gina Price White.
Some other events held during the week were a family Jeopardy game held over Zoom. The winning family received a prize. There were also several yoga classes held throughout the week on @ WU_Rec Instagram Live. Anyone who attended these sessions could learn some simple yoga poses and various breathing techniques.
“Virtual Family Week [was] a great way to interact with other families, students, faculty, and staff members, as well as engage in fun activities such as the Family Photo competition, Jeopardy with the Fam, participating in the bookstore’s Spirit Week dress-up days, and getting a discount on Winthrop gear from the bookstore,” Norcia said.
Even though families could not visit the campus in person, Virtual Family Week still allowed families to engage with the Winthrop community and learn more about the campus, as well as provided the opportunity to participate in fun activities.
Photo by Gwen Manten
