Purdue University Fort Wayne hosts first Students with Families Night of the semester. The next event will be Nov. 2 for a skate night at the Roller Dome North.
By: Moriah Weaver
Purdue University Fort Wayne students and faculty gathered at Crazy Pinz for a night of fun festivities on Sept. 27 during the first “Students with Families Night” of the fall semester.
Those who attended the event from 6-8 p.m. enjoyed free pizza, beverages, and passes for bowling, laser tag, mini golf and the arcade.
The university has been offering these free and fun-filled nights to students for several years, allowing families to engage in unique and entertaining activities each month. The program, which is led by Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, was created with the goal to provide leisure activities for families that would not typically be able to spend nights out together—low-income families in particular.
According to Bachelor and General Studies Student Outreach Coordinator Cicelle Beemon, who currently plans and organizes each of the Students with Families Nights, the periodic events have attracted several regular attending students and their family members during her few years in the position.
She said it takes an immense amount of time to put together such events, but the outcome and grateful reactions from students are worth the work invested.
Beemon also explained that she feels it is of growing importance that students have this time to spend with loved ones as they get busier and pick up more responsibilities.
One Purdue University Fort Wayne student who attended the Crazy Pinz event, Nicole Bowe, definitely knows and appreciates the value of the night.
She was able to enjoy the Students with Families event with her 1-year-old daughter, Meris. The two spent time watching friends and family compete in rounds of bowling while indulging in their pizza.
Bowe said that it can be hard to take her daughter out much while in college full-time, so she takes full advantage of the Students with Families nights.
According to Bowe, the time spent with her daughter is priceless. She hopes to savor every moment she can while bonding during fun activities.
It appears the difficulty families face with spending time together is not limited to Purdue University Fort Wayne students and their families, either. According to a 2018 study conducted by Visit Anaheim, the average amount of quality time American families spend together each day during the week is about 37 minutes.
The study also found that 60% of American families describe their lives as ‘hectic’ and attribute the lack of quality time to busy work and school schedules.
Beemon and Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs recognize the struggle American families face and created the Students with Families Nights as a response to this dilemma. The faculty believes in the positive impact a night out with loved ones can have and will be continuing to host the events periodically throughout the school year.
The next Students with Families Night will be Nov. 2 for a skate night at the Roller Dome North.
Dates and times for the rest of the Students with Families Nights during the fall can be found in the Purdue University Fort Wayne Fall Programming Guide. For more information, visit https://www.pfw.edu/offices/cwra/programs/students-with-families.html