Held annually at the university, Family Day is an event hosted by the Student Committee of Programming Events (SCOPE) meant to welcome students’ families and give them a glimpse into campus life while building community, as well as give students living away from home the chance to connect with parents and siblings amid hectic academic schedules.
While Family Day fell on Sept. 20, festivities began early with some families joining their students the evening before for a sold out outdoor movie night screening of “Monsters University” and a BBQ which consisted of games, popcorn and dinner prepared by students from the Fire Science Club on the Bixler/Gerber Quad. Tickets for this event were available to purchase as add ons to the standard Family Day tickets.
“Family day was a refreshing break from my crazy academic schedule,” said Molly Murphy, a sophomore student at the university. “It allowed me to reconnect with my family and remind me of my life outside of college.”
The next day, the main Family Day activities began with a number of games and activities for families to partake in after checking in at the Beckerman Recreation Center.
11 a.m. marked the start of tie dying, blanket making and the making of trail mix bags in an event hosted by the university’s dining services. The event was a collaboration with General Mills and included a surprise appearance by the Pillsbury Doughboy.
The afternoon brought even more activities ranging from mini golf, trivia, blacklight bowling and more all across campus, however the highlight of Family Day was the football game.
While home games aren’t an unusual sight during family day, with last years also taking place during the first game of the season, what made this year’s game different was it being the university’s first football game since the move to Division I and entering the Northeastern Conference (NEC), which was announced in July.
While many have been anxious as to how the Chargers would perform at a higher level, the university beat the Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals, 35-28.
Instrumental to this victory was Chargers quarterback and two-time NEC player of the week AJ Duffy, who threw a total of four touchdown passes within the first half of the game.
The football game also included performances from the University’s Marching Band alongside Color Guard, Cheerleaders, Dance Team and the Miss Majorettes, another dance team here at UNH which is known for their incorporation of a variety of dance styles such as West African, hip hop, step, bucking and jazz.
In attendance were also many fans for the Cardinals, who left disappointed following the loss.
