2009 Parents Weekend FAQs
1. What is Parents Weekend?
The focus of this event is to welcome parents and family members of our undergraduate students to campus so that they have the opportunity to experience a portion of their student’s life at Santa Clara University. To this end, we encourage parents to participate in a variety of academic, athletic and social events designed to give family members a tantalizing taste of Santa Clara. And, yes, siblings are invited to attend the weekend!
2. Who attends Parents Weekend?
We have designed the weekend to have components of interest for all our undergraduate classes, and encourage our students to attend sessions with their parents. The weekend is of particular interest for the members of the Class of 2009, as their Senior Parent Dinner Dance marks just over 100 days until graduation.
3. When will Parents weekend information be mailed home?
We will mail a Save-the-Date card to all registered undergraduate students (this will include all deposited freshmen students) in late August. A complete invitation will be mailed in mid-December (in time to review it with students at home over the break). Online registration will be available in late fall, so if you do not receive invitation materials in the mail by the end of the year, you may print the materials from the web site or register online.
4. Do parents need to register for Parents Weekend?
Yes, you need to register if you plan on attending any of the Parents Weekend sessions or events. However, registration will be held under the student’s name to simplify the process. Registration needs to be postmarked or completed online by Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009, to avoid a late registration fee.
5. When should you plan to arrive and leave for Parents Weekend and where should I stay?
Parents weekend registration will open at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009, and the first sessions will begin at 1 p.m. The final sessions of the weekend will end in the early afternoon on Saturday, but there will be optional afternoon activities and the Parents Mass at 5 p.m. that day. The Senior Parent Dinner Dance will be held at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Fairmont San Jose. The room rate is $163 for main building rooms and $183 for tower rooms; reference SCU Parents Weekend Room Block when booking. The hotel’s direct reservation number is 1-800-346-5550, or make your reservation online. The hotel will hold the block until Feb. 6, 2009, so make your reservations early, or view a list of other hotels near campus.
For a list of local restaurants, visit the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau.
6. Where should I park on campus? for the Senior Parent Dinner Dance?
Parents arriving for Friday sessions should check in with the kiosk on Palm Drive (at the main entrance) to pick up a visitor parking permit. You will then be directed to visitor parking. Guests arriving on Saturday may park on campus without a permit (be aware that "C" and "CW" spaces are restricted 24 hours a day, seven days a week).
Parents attending the Senior Parent Dinner Dance may park in the Park Center Garage or any of the other available city lots. Shuttle service will be available between campus and the San Jose Fairmont. The first shuttle departs from in front of the Mission Church at 6 p.m. The last shuttle will depart from the Market Street entrance of the Fairmont hotel at 12:30 a.m.
7. What should I wear?
Dress for the weekend is casual, except for the Senior Parent Dinner Dance, which is semi-formal. The weather in Santa Clara is variable in the month of February; in 2006 we had snow on the foothills one weekend and lunch on the lawn in 70 degree sunshine the following weekend, so pack for a variety of options.
8. What does the registration fee include?
The fee includes the registration materials, all the presentations on Friday and Saturday, and the continental breakfast on Saturday morning for you and your student. Meals and other events that require an additional cost will be indicated on the invitation materials.
9. What do we do when we first get to campus for Parent Weekend?
If you arrive during the day, you may pick up your registration materials in the lobby of the Benson Memorial Center. Registration materials will be held for all family members under the student’s name. You student may also pick up these materials for you during registration hours. Tickets for the Senior Parent Dinner Dance not picked up during registration hours on campus will be available at the Fairmont Hotel when dinner begins.
10. While we are attending Parent Weekend, can our high school student tour SCU and visit the Office of Undergraduate Admission?
Yes! Appointments can be made online through the Undergraduate Admission Web site or by calling 408-554-4146.
