Something that is often said in the KSC Transitions and Community Living department is that when a student goes to college, the whole family goes to college.
Last Saturday, families reunited on Family Day, a fall tradition that celebrates the connection between students, community, families and campus pride. Families were invited to come up and see their students and the campus, and participate in a mix of activities like paint and sip sessions, cornhole tournaments and a murder mystery dinner.
“It’s been a pleasant experience,” said a parent who asked to remain unnamed, attending with their student. “Everything is well organized, and the staff is super friendly and helpful. The atmosphere has been welcoming and friendly. It makes parents’ minds at ease that their child is in a good place.”
They joined in on the cornhole tournament and spent time exploring downtown Keene. “The last time we were here, it was to move in,” the parent said. “Now things are calmer, and we could take our time exploring the campus and town. We’re leaving with a much more connected feeling and that is a wonderful feeling.”
For the Bunker family, who attended with first-year students Melissa Bunker and Mykaylyn Drew, the weekend was filled not only with family fun but paint. “We did the second Paint and Sip session, and we all really enjoyed it,” said Kathy Bunker, Melissa’s mom. “We all did the same painting, but they all came out different. It was a lot of family fun.”
The Bunkers praised the event’s organization, though they noted one minor hiccup. “It was a little confusing getting here because Main Street was closed for [Pumpkin] Fest,” Kathy Bunker said. “We had to figure out how to get here with Main Street being closed.” Once they arrived, however, the family quickly settled into campus life. “We were able to eat in the dining hall, which was great because we got to experience what the students experience at the dining hall and sit down and enjoy that feeling of being at college,” Kathy Bunker said. Kaiden Enoth, Mykaylyn’s brother, added, “I’m almost 16, so getting that taste of what college is like, plus the dining hall, best hashbrowns I ever had. Yeah, that’s all I gotta say.”
Alan Bunker, Melissa’s dad, brought up dorm life as well as campus life. “It’s nice to be able to hang out in the dorm with our daughters, and I would agree with eating in the dining hall.”
For first-year student Axel Freund, Family Day was a chance to share her new life at Keene State with her loved ones. “It’s nice having a weekend specifically for family to be here,” Freund said. “It’s one day with activities for parents to come up and also see the college experience.” She described the atmosphere as “friendly and generally pretty welcoming,” and said she liked how the college tied Family Day into Keene’s annual Pumpkin Festival. “It’s kind of nice that they work with downtown too,” she mentioned.
Some students found the day a little surreal but exciting. Sophomore Dillion Crockett said it was weird seeing home life and college life merged. “It’s almost kind of weird, actually,” Crockett said. “Your college life and home life are so separate that it’s kind of weird to be like, ‘Here’s what it looks like for me.’ But it’s useful, especially if your parents never came for a tour.”
Crockett played cornhole games and said he was looking forward to the murder mystery dinner later that night with friends. “I’m actually very excited for that,” Crockett said. “But I feel like the painting we did last year was probably the best thing we did, that was last year.”
Families gathered around Fiske Quad to watch the cornhole games and enjoy food. Among those people was Nancy, the grandmother of first-year Brett Kohs, watching her family play cornhole. “I think the campus and all the activities have been fantastic,” she said, “Wonderful activities and a wonderful weekend.” For Nancy, she said the highlight was simply being together and seeing her grandson. “Just looking at Brett’s room and talking to his friends, and then coming to the activities,” she said. “They’re wonderful.”
Behind the scenes of the event, KSC Assistant Director of Transitions Michael Brown said Family Day is one of the college’s most meaningful traditions. “Family is as much a part of the student experience as anything that we do,” he said. “When a student goes to college, the whole family goes to college,” Brown said, adding the goal each year is to create an event that’s welcoming and accessible for everyone. “Cornhole and the murder mystery dinner are fan favorites,” he said. “But we’ve also added things like a Scrabble tournament and caricature artists, so there is something for everyone.”
Planning this event takes lots of coordination between on-campus departments like campus safety, facilities and student involvement, Brown explained. “That’s one of the most important parts,” he said. “Seeing all these different departments come together for something that means so much to our students and families.” He added that even with challenges arising, such as new equipment arriving just in time, the teamwork always shows through. “I have wonderful colleagues who always come through,” he said.
At the heart of it all, Brown said he hopes families leave campus feeling the love and welcoming environment that the Keene State campus provides. “I hope they will just feel the love that went into planning this event and the love that the campus has to offer,” he said. “I want them to leave thinking, ‘I dropped my student off in the right place.’”
Dakota Sweet can be reached at
dsweet@kscequinox.com
