The FSU cam­pus will soon be infil­trated by all sorts of young­sters related to our cur­rently enrolled students.

On March 25, FSU stu­dents will have the oppor­tu­nity to bring their sib­lings to cam­pus for an excit­ing week­end of fam­ily bond­ing. The Sibs and Kids Weekend annual Residence Hall Association event hopes to bring atten­tion of a larger audi­ence to the uni­ver­sity, while enabling stu­dents to spend qual­ity time with their families.

“The over­all goal is for stu­dents and their sib­lings to have a fun-filled, stress-free week­end with events and activ­i­ties all over cam­pus that hope­fully appeal to a wide range of indi­vid­u­als,” said Paul Willard, hall direc­tor of Taggart and Pickell res­i­dence halls.

The event also has other appeals for sib­lings and their FSU fam­ily member.

“It gives stu­dents a chance to show off cam­pus and the way they live when they are away from their loved ones,” said Duane Roberts, RHA exec­u­tive board mem­ber. “I hope that the sib­lings have fun, get excited about com­ing to col­lege, as well as have a great time unit­ing with a sib­ling that they do not see frequently.”

While the event does aim to pro­vide stu­dents a chance to con­nect with their sib­lings, it also has other goals in regard to help­ing the uni­ver­sity itself.

“We also want to expose the younger gen­er­a­tion of stu­dents to the cam­pus and all that Ferris State has to offer to hope­fully build some recog­ni­tion when they even­tu­ally choose their uni­ver­sity down the road,” said Willard.

“I want this pro­gram to be used as a type of recruit­ment for future Ferris stu­dents and to pro­mote com­ing to col­lege to all indi­vid­u­als,” said Roberts.

There are a plethora of activ­i­ties planned for FSU stu­dents and their sib­lings. The events will begin with The Solo Circus act of Michael DuBois. There will also be a scav­enger hunt, inflat­able activ­i­ties, a mini car­ni­val, meals at the Rock and Westview, tie-dying of shirts, an oppor­tu­nity to meet Brutus, and many other activities.

“We want the sib­lings to be highly involved in the week­end and truly immerse them­selves in the cam­pus expe­ri­ence and the activ­i­ties we are offer­ing,” said Willard. “We hope they have a week­end of fun, excite­ment, and pos­i­tive energy.

The event has had pos­i­tive feed­back in the past and there is expected to be a good turnout of siblings.

Taima Dry, sopho­more in the busi­ness admin­is­tra­tion pro­gram, said, “I am very excited to see my sib­lings. Living two and a half hours away makes it very dif­fi­cult to see them and I’m excited to show them around cam­pus and all of the fun things there are to do here.”

Dry’s sib­lings also attended the event last year and reacted well to it.

“I love this event,” said Roberts. “This is my third year work­ing on this pro­gram and every year we try to make it big­ger, bet­ter, and more worth it for the sib­lings. A lot of plan­ning goes into the for­ma­tion of this event, and I know it will all be worth it when I see the smiles on the sib­lings’ faces, as well as all the stu­dents hav­ing a great time.”

“My gen­eral thoughts on the week­end are the fol­low­ing: It is going to be so much fun,” said Craig Franke, exec­u­tive board mem­ber of RHA. “There is so much planned for the week­end and I am very excited to have been a part of this.”

Visiting sib­lings are required to pay a $25 fee, which is put toward the cost of a gift, meals at the cafe­te­rias on cam­pus, and the events planned for the week­end. Siblings can also pur­chase shirts for $5. For more infor­ma­tion, con­tact Willard at ext. 0272 or email willarp@ferris.edu. n