Aggie Care celebrates families of faculty
Professors and students walked the Quad Thursday night, but instead of carrying books and lecture notes, they were hand-in-hand with their spouses and children.
For the past eight years Aggie Care has been organizing a Celebration of Children and Families for university staff and students. The event showcases each college of the university and gives kids a chance to learn what the different departments do.
“It’s kind of like a bring your child to work day,” said Konie Humphreys, a coordinator of Aggie Care. “They get to see all of the colleges, see what they have to offer and display what the colleges are about.”
Humphreys said that the Celebration of Children and Families started when university provost, Raymond Coward, wanted to find a way to give back to the families of USU. Current provost, Noelle E. Cockett has continued the tradition.
John Kerley-Weeks, an adjunct member in the Natural Resources and MIS departments, said that he appreciates how family friendly the university is. He said that the event is wonderful because it is a chance to spend quality time with his family while showing them a little of what he does for work.
Each of USU’s eight colleges organized a booth with games and activities for kids. The theater department had a puppet making station, while the Jon M. Hunstman School of Business played ‘pin the tie on the business kid.’ The College of Science froze graham crackers with liquid nitrogen, then let the kids eat the snacks and feel the nitrogen smoke push its way out of their mouths and noses.
“It’s fun to provide opportunities for children to engage in learning,” said David Eldridge, a senior business ambassador. “It’s cool to provide them with a firsthand touch of every college so they can start learning young why learning is fun and the cool thing to do.”
Four-year-old Millie Hartwell watched eagerly as the chemistry students demonstrated how liquid nitrogen can shrink a balloon and human heat can restore it to its original size.
“I loved making balloons because they burn them,” said Hartwell.
Some of the staff attending the celebration commented on how accommodating the university is toward families.
“I do think USU is reasonably family friendly to its staff,” said Harrison Kleiner, a professor in the college of humanities and social sciences. “My department head has always been very supportive of, ‘I can’t do that, I have an afternoon ballet recital.'”
Last night’s celebration was a small symbol of gratitude for all that the university staff and their families sacrifice to the cultivate learning at Utah State.
“It’s just fun seeing the kids and families enjoying it,” said Humphreys.
Humphreys said the logo for the event — USU and families go hand-in-hand — was seen in the atmosphere of the evening.
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