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Families To Visit SHSU For Weekend

Bearkat Family Weekend Logo Sam Houston State University will give families a taste of the college life with their students during the 2008 Bearkat Family Weekend Nov. 14-16.

Activities will kick off on Friday at 8 p.m., when families will have the opportunity to view the Program Council’s showing of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf, in the Lowman Student Center Theater.

Saturday’s festivities will begin with the Kats for the Kause 5k Charity Run/1-mile Walk, with registration at 7:15 a.m. and an 8 a.m. shotgun start, beginning in the Bowers Stadium west parking lot.

Participation in the SHSU- and Zeta Tau Alpha-sponsored event, with proceeds benefitting breast cancer awareness and education, is $15, which includes a T-shirt. Runners are encouraged to wear pink and can register online at http://www.shsu.edu/~slo_sad/katsforthecause/ through Nov. 14 or on the day of the event.

After check-in on Saturday, from 8:30-11 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area, students and their families can tour SHSU’s first and oldest building, Austin Hall, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At 9 a.m., guests can meet university president Jim Gaertner and other administrators while having a continental breakfast in the LSC Ballroom. The Bearkat Marching Band will also play and the SHSU cheerleaders will lead chants to bring “a little bit more fanfare” to the “Welcome Extravaganza,” according to Dean of Students’ Office program coordinator Kimberly Spradlin.

“The idea is to get them excited about being here at Sam and get them ready for a great day,” she said. “We already have approximately 2,200 registered participants, which is up from the 1,800 who came last year. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Bearkat Family Weekend will include more activities than previous years, including a carnival, with games and activities sponsored by different departments, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Intramural Field No. 1.

Parents will have the opportunity to discuss volunteer opportunities and tailgating with the Parents’ Association during its meeting, open to all parents, at 10 a.m. in the LSC Theater. The association will also introduce its officers and announce its scholarship recipients.

A barbecue lunch will be served to families from noon to 2 p.m., also at the Intramural Field No. 1.

On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to noon, alcohol educator Mary Hill will discuss “Empowering Millennials to Change the Social Culture” in the LSC Room 320, and from 2-3:30 p.m., families can learn about the different approaches SHSU takes to handling various alcohol and drug-related issues during a roundtable discussion in the LSC Room 320.

Other activities families can participate in on Saturday include the historic spinning and weaving demonstrations, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the front porch of Gen. Sam Houston’s home, located on the Sam Houston Memorial Museum grounds; a criminal justice open house, from 1-3 p.m. in the Criminal Justice Center foyer; a presentation of what the Bearkat Learning Community has “been up to,” from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Randel House; and a foreign languages open house and information session, from 3-5 p.m. on the third floor of the Evans Complex.

As families cruise in to Bearkat Alley on the north parking lot of Bowers Stadium before the football game, so will a number of classic cars. The classic car cruise-in will begin at 3:30 p.m., followed by the pre-game tailgate party from 4–6 p.m.

At that time, families can head inside the stadium, where they will see the Bearkat football team take on Southeastern Louisiana for SHSU’s annual “Pink Out” game, for which fans are encouraged to wear their “Kats for the Cause” pink T-shirts.

Shirts will be sold near the ticket booth before and during the football game for $10 and breast cancer information will also be disseminated.

Sunday will round out the weekend with an interdenominational Christian worship service from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the Farrington Pit.

Tickets for the football game will be sold separately for $20 for seats with a chair back and $10 for general admission. Children ages 5 and under are admitted to all Bearkat sporting events for free.

Game tickets can be purchased online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets, at the gate on game day or at the field house until 4 p.m. on Friday.

While registration for Bearkat Family Weekend has been transferred over for those who paid for the original event, scheduled Sept. 12-14 but canceled due to Hurricane Ike, football tickets will not.

Families who purchased football tickets for the original family weekend game must trade in the tickets for Southeastern Louisiana tickets as soon as possible by calling 936.294.1729.

For more information or a complete schedule of events, visit the Bearkat Family Weekend Web site at http://www.shsu.edu/~slo_www/weekend/, or contact the Dean of Students' Office at 936.294.1785.

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SHSU Media Contacts: Jennifer Gauntt
Nov. 3, 2008
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Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.

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