Spring Family Weekend is designed to give you an opportunity to visit with your son or daughter, to enjoy special events and activities and to experience the coming of Spring to our campus.

The Spring Family Weekend schedule is included below, followed by a list of frequently asked Spring Family Weekend questions and answers. Please understand there may be additions and changes to the schedule between now and the start of the weekend. We encourage you to check this website for the most up-to-date information before coming to campus. An updated, printed schedule will also be available at the Powell Campus Center Information Desk throughout the weekend.

Families planning to attend are encouraged to make lodging reservations as soon as possible because spaces at local hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts fill up very quickly.

Please call the Office of Summer and Parent Programs at 607.871.2612, or contact us via email, if you have any questions or concerns about the weekend. We hope you will plan now to join us for this very special event.

Spring Family Weekend Schedule
View and print PDF version.
(Updated April 26. Subject to change.)

Friday, April 26, 2013

7 am-5 pm Equestrian Center - Families are welcome to visit the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center. directions to the Equestrian Center Printed directions will also be available at the Campus Center Information Desk. Equestrian Center webpage

8:20 am-4 pm "Students for a Day" - Parents are invited to share in the Alfred University experience by visiting selected classes. View the list of open classes. (A printed list will also be available at the Campus Center Information Desk on Thursday and Friday, April 25 and 26.)

8:30-4:30 pm University Administrative Offices Open - Parents with questions are welcome to stop by for information. (If you wish to meet with someone, please call ahead to check availability and make an appointment. Contact List)

9 am-Noon Experience the Sights and Sounds of Harder Hall - Families are welcome to visit Harder Hall to observe art students in action. This is an informal opportunity to stroll through the building on your own and see student artists working in various media. Harder Hall

10 am Arthur L. and Lea R. Powell Distinguished Lecture in Psychology - Dr. Frank Farley, the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University, will discuss "Extreme People." Free Admission. Nevins Theater

10 am-4 pm Visit the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred - Exhibition: Animalia from the Museum's Collection -This exhibition highlights some of the animal representations in the Museum’s permanent collection. These owls, snakes, various birds, elephant, dogs and tapir, to name a few, are each made of ceramics by various artists. The artists include Alanna DeRocchi, Bruce Gholson, David Weinrib, Linda Cordell, Matthew Metz, Akio Takamori, Peter Morgan, Beth Low, Shoko Teruyama, Kurt Weiser, and Jenny Lind. Some of the animals are freestanding on all fours while others are on just two. Others are in low relief, cleverly growing from a vessel and another’s head becomes the finial of a lid. There are examples of animal images utilizing the sgraffito technique on the sides of vessels from the fourteenth and the twenty-first centuries and others with two-dimensional rendering in slip or glaze. A Peruvian zoomorphic pot made more than one thousand years ago will share the gallery with an object representing the same animal, but produced last year - reminding us again of the long history of clay’s interaction with the life forms sharing our earth. Free Admission. Binns-Merrill Hall, 2nd floor

10 am-4 pm Visit the Inamori Kyocera Museum - Showcased in this Museum are engineered materials developed for cutting-edge applications in science and industry. The striking blue glass display cabinets contain objects that highlight the history of ceramic materials, which can be traced back to 24,000 BCE (Before Common Era), to today, where fine (also known as advanced or engineered) ceramics are an enabling technology in countless everyday items - from computers and cell phones to more specialized applications like fuel cells, solar panels and biomedical implants. Free Admission. Binns-Merrill Hall, 2nd floor

11:30 am-1:30 pm Lunch - Powell or Ade Dining Hall
Meal plan students can use guest meals to pay for their families. Cash prices will also be posted.

3-6:30 pm Family Weekend Information and Sign In - Please stop by to sign our guest book, pick up a printed weekend schedule, AU Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Grandma and Grandpa buttons, campus maps and other materials and information. Powell Campus Center Information Desk, 2nd Floor Lobby

4 pm Honors Convocation - Families are encouraged to attend this very special event. Awards will be presented and recognition given for outstanding achievement at this annual ceremony honoring student & faculty excellence. Miller Theater

5:30 pm Reception for Students and Families Hosted by President Edmondson immediately following Honors Convocation. This is an opportunity for families to enjoy refreshments and visit with President Edmondson, University administrators, faculty and staff. Ade Hall Lobby (Please note location change!)

5-7:30 pm Dinner - Powell
5:30-8:30 pm Dinner - Ade Hall
Families are welcome to enjoy dinner on campus at Powell Campus Center or Ade dining hall. (Meal plan students can use guest meals to pay for family members. Cash prices will also be posted in the dining halls.) Alfred and area restaurants look forward to serving you during Family Weekend, as well (reservations suggested). Local Restaurants

6 pm Pine Hill Derby (weather permitting) - This annual event, sponsored by AU's student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, is always a lot of fun for everyone! Engineering students race their home-made gravity propelled vehicles down the hill on the north end of campus. Pine Hill

7 pm Choral Concert - AU Chamber Singers and Chorus perform their annual spring concert. The joined choirs will present the "Coronation" Mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Free admission. Alfred Seventh Day Baptist Church (Please note time change!)

8 pm OK GO in Concert - OK GO is an alternative rock band that has received praise for both their high-energy live performances and their artistically choreographed music videos. Admission $20 ($10 for AU students). Tickets will go on sale February 26 to AU students, March 17 to the Alfred community, and March 26 to the public. Families who wish to attend should ask their student to purchase tickets for them before the concert sells out. McLane Gym

9 pm Observatory Open House - If the sky is clear, this is your opportunity to view the April sky through the sophisticated instruments of the John L. Stull Observatory. (Note: if the sky is cloudy the observatory will be closed.)


Saturday, April 27, 2013

7 am-5 pm Equestrian Center - Families are welcome to visit the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center. Directions to the Equestrian Center Printed directions will also be available at the Campus Center Information Desk. Equestrian Center webpage

8:30-10 am Complimentary Coffee/Tea for Visiting Families - Powell Campus Center, 2nd Floor Lobby

9-11 am Continental Breakfast - Ade Hall
Meal plan students can use guest meals to pay for family members. Cash prices will also be posted in the dining halls.

9-11 am Parents Advisory Board Meeting - For members of the Parents Advisory Board and other parents who are interested in joining the Board. Powell Board Room

9:00-Noon Family Weekend Information and Sign In - Please stop by to sign our guest book, pick up a printed weekend schedule, AU Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Grandma and Grandpa buttons, campus maps and other materials and information. Powell Campus Center Information Desk, 2nd Floor Lobby

9 am Register for the Hot Dog Day Wellness 5K Color Walk/Run that starts at 10:00 am. Registration fee: $10 for AU students and $15 for all others. Pre-register on-line. Walkers and runners who have pre-registered will receive T-shirts. For further information please go to the Wellness Center webpage. (Click here to find the answers to some commonly asked questions about color runs. If you have further questions, please contact Amber Hardy.) Meet at the Village Bandstand on Main Street.

10 am Hot Dog Day Wellness Color 5K Walk/Run - Everyone is welcome to participate in this community event. (Registration is at 9:00 a.m. - please see important registration information listed above). Begins at the Bandstand on Main Street.

10 am-12:30 am Cyberfresh Café open - Powell Campus Center

11 am-12 pm Career Development Center Open House - Will your son or daughter find a good job or graduate school after Alfred? What can they do now to prepare? Find out all about the resources and services provided by the Career Development Center at this Open House. Location: The McComsey Career Development Center at the Steinheim

11 am-1:30 pm Brunch - Ade Hall
Meal plan students can use guest meals to pay for family members. Cash prices will also be posted in the dining halls.

Noon - Lions Club Chicken Barbecue - Union University Church Center, Church Street

12-5 pm Hot Dog Day Festival - Booths, arts & crafts, games, live music, raffles and of course HOT DOGS! Come and participate in one of Alfred's oldest traditions. Proceeds to benefit local charities. Main Street

12-5 pm Davis Gym Skate Jam - $10 to skate, bike, inline (includes raffle ticket & hot dog). Helmets required. Live music, food and raffles. Spectators welcome - sit back and enjoy the high-flying action! Davis Gym

1 pm Hot Dog Eating Contest - Main Street

1-4 pm Visit the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred - Exhibition: Animalia from the Museum's Collection - This exhibition highlights some of the animal representations in the Museum’s permanent collection. These owls, snakes, various birds, elephant, dogs and tapir, to name a few, are each made of ceramics by various artists. The artists include Alanna DeRocchi, Bruce Gholson, David Weinrib, Linda Cordell, Matthew Metz, Akio Takamori, Peter Morgan, Beth Low, Shoko Teruyama, Kurt Weiser, and Jenny Lind. Some of the animals are freestanding on all fours while others are on just two. Others are in low relief, cleverly growing from a vessel and another’s head becomes the finial of a lid. There are examples of animal images utilizing the sgraffito technique on the sides of vessels from the fourteenth and the twenty-first centuries and others with two-dimensional rendering in slip or glaze. A Peruvian zoomorphic pot made more than one thousand years ago will share the gallery with an object representing the same animal, but produced last year - reminding us again of the long history of clay’s interaction with the life forms sharing our earth. Free Admission. Binns-Merrill Hall, 2nd floor

1-4 pm Visit the Inamori Kyocera Museum - Showcased in this Museum are engineered materials developed for cutting-edge applications in science and industry. The striking blue glass display cabinets contain objects that highlight the history of ceramic materials, which can be traced back to 24,000 BCE (Before Common Era) to today, where fine (also known as advanced or engineered) ceramics are an enabling technology in countless everyday items - from computers and cell phones to more specialized applications like fuel cells, solar panels and biomedical implants. Free Admission. Binns-Merrill Hall, 2nd floor

2 pm Mud Olympics - Hot Dog Day's official sporting event features mud volleyball, tug-of-war and wheelbarrow racing. The winning team gets free T-shirts. Tucker Field

2 pm AU Women's Lacrosse vs. St. John Fisher - Empire 8 Contest. Come on down and root for our team! Merrill Field

4-5 pm Carillon Recital and Hands-On Open House - Enjoy the beautiful music of the Carillon played by Laurel Buckwalter, AU Carillonneur, then join her in the Carillon to see just how she does it! Davis Memorial Carillon (located between the Career Development Center and Howell Hall)

5-7:30 pm Dinner - Ade Hall (Meal plan students can use guest meals to pay for family members. Cash prices will also be posted.)

6-7 pm Environmental Foundry Show - An exhibition of Sculpture + Processes by Environmental Foundry students Renee Vogelle, Stephen Rooney and Rebecca Flis. Join them to see the results of their investigations using ancient casting methods developed at the National Casting Center Foundry. Free Admission. Sculpture Gallery Cube, Binns Merrill Hall.

7-9 pm MFA Thesis Exhibition Opening at the Fosdick-Nelson Gallery - Exhibiting the work of MFA candidates. Harder Hall

7-9 pm MFA Thesis Exhibition Opening at the Robert Turner Gallery - Exhibiting the work of MFA candidates. Harder Hall

9 pm Mentalist Joshua Seth - Joshua Seth’s shows combine thought reading, magic and some good old fashioned showmanship to create an atmosphere of mystery and laughter that will absolutely freak you out. Free admission. Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall


Sunday, April 28, 2013

9-11 am Continental Breakfast - Ade Hall

10 am-12:30 am Cyberfresh Café open - Powell Campus Center

11 am-1:30 pm Brunch - Ade Hall

1 pm AU Women's Lacrosse vs. SUNY Canton - Merrill Field

1-3 pm MFA Thesis Exhibition at the Fosdick-Nelson Gallery - Exhibiting the work of MFA candidates. Harder Hall

1-3 pm MFA Thesis Exhibition at the Robert Turner Gallery - Exhibiting the work of MFA candidates. Harder Hall

*This schedule is subject to change.

Spring Family Weekend FAQs:

Q: Do we need to register somewhere when we arrive on campus?
A: There is no need to formally register for the weekend, but we would be pleased to greet you at the Campus Center Information Desk during our "Family Weekend Information and Sign In" hours on Friday afternoon and/or Saturday morning. Updated weekend schedules and other information will be available at that location throughout the weekend.

Q: How will we be made aware of changes to the weekend schedule?
A: The schedule on this page will be kept up-to-date. An printed version of the updated schedule will also be available for students & families to pick up at the Powell Information Desk throughout the weekend.

Q: Can our student's meal plan be used to pay for our campus meals?
A: Yes, meal plan students can use guest meals to pay for their families. Cash prices will also be posted in the dining halls.

Q: Where can I park on campus?
A: During Family Weekend parents can park in any available parking spaces, whether they are marked visitor, student, or faculty/staff (except those reserved for the handicapped). No special parking permits are required during special weekends. (Please do not park in fire lanes, "no parking" zones, on the grass, or blocking entries or exits.) Questions about parking may be directed to the AU Safety Office at 607.871.2108.

Q: Where are the athletic events being held?
A: Only home games are listed in the Spring Family Weekend schedule, and campus locations are indicated. Please check with your son or daughter to see if they have an away-game this weekend. For away-game locations, visit the athletics web page and view the schedule for your child's team.

Q: Whom do I contact if I have suggestions for future Family Weekends?
A: If you have suggestions for Family Weekend programs and events we would be happy to hear from you. Please contact Melody McLay or Frank DiRaimondo at 607.871.2612.