The Cougar's Byte

Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: Campus Life

It was around 10:00 a.m. that the Kean University campus started to come to life on October 6th. Students hurried out of their residence halls in groups of three and four as they hurried to the individual parking lots where various cars were just starting to arrive. Some students stood on the sidewalks as they talked on their cell phones, giving directions, while others carefully walked through the growing numbers of parked cars to greet family and friends with smiles and hugs. By 11:30 am, the heavy, happy murmur of people meeting each other around the campus was nearly at an uproar as the Kean communities' friends and family joined the students to explore the campus life.

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This is only a small observation made by various people as they walked through the campus during the annual Family Day program. Organized by the Office of University Relations, Family Day is a time where the families and friends of all Kean University students are invited to enjoy free food, fun and games, entertainment, and Cougar companionship while participating in numerous activities on campus. "There was a whole range of things for people to do all day," said Jarrel Hall, a freshman majoring in Criminal Justice. "My family and I never got bored once."

The program schedule was made to accommodate everyone's wants, needs, and concerns, and the activities held were run by student volunteers who sat attentively at their assigned places, cheerfully helping passing families who needed directions or information. Campus tours were held all day, starting from the One-Stop Service Center every hour for those who wanted to learn more about Kean's landscape, and every half-hour the Residence Life tours allows families to see student apartments and traditional-style dormitories. The One-Stop Center in the Administration Building was open all day as well for scholarship advising and financial aid counseling for concerned parents.

The program also provided entertainment for the students and children so they could enjoy themselves. The Wilkins Theatre Plaza hosted a scavenger hunt, testing the students' knowledge of the campus for impressive prizes for back-to-school, followed by a student cabaret in the Little Theatre. Outside the University Center, children and parents could be seen enjoying the fun of carnival games, basketball shooting, miniature golf, a free ice cream stand, and face-painting.

Continued...

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