For three warm and bright days in October, Lasell welcomed countless guests back to its campus for the annual celebration of Family, Friends, and Alumni Weekend (FFAW). As stated in its name, the event encourages the entire Lasell community to come together and revisit, remember, and celebrate their common alma mater.
Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy Sarah Neill worked with multiple offices on campus to plan and execute each event throughout the weekend. She explained how important the traditions of the weekend are to the Lasell community.
“FFAW provides an opportunity for the community to come together during the beautiful fall season,” said Neill. “For our families, it’s a great time to visit campus to see their students and participate in activities together. For our alumni, it’s a chance to connect with each other and Lasell, learn about what’s happening at the University, see beloved faculty, take in some athletic events, and reminisce.”
FFAW often features events including alumni sports games, bingo, apple picking trips, and class reunions, all of which took place this year. Additional importance found its way to this year’s festivities, however, in the form of President Eric Turner’s inauguration.
Friday, Oct. 18 saw the 10th president’s official welcome to leadership, and served a supplementary purpose of gathering an especially large group for the rest of the weekend.
“The inauguration of President Turner was planned to coincide with FFAW,” said Neill. “The FFAW activities served as an extension of the celebration and demonstrated the vibrancy of our community.”
Guests of the inauguration were welcomed to observe student achievements during colloquium and view updates to campus on tours of the newly renovated Saunders House and freshly constructed virtual reality lab in the Winslow Academic Center.
The events of FFAW began initial planning in the early months of summer by faculty and staff across campus, including those within the Office of Student Affairs, Conference and Event Services, and Campus Police.
Having never experienced Lasell’s FFAW before, Coordinator of Student Activities and Orientation Charlotte Berman remarked on the scale of the weekend and the interest of its guests.
“It was very exciting to see how many people came up to Lasell for the weekend, especially alumni who came out in such large numbers,” said Berman.
One of the largest events for returning Lasers is the Alumni and Friends Beer Tent, held on Saturday, Oct. 19. All guests over the age of 21 were welcomed to a tent in the parking lot of the Michael B. Alexander Science and Technology Center and offered drink tickets to purchase as well as appetizers.
The weekend’s events culminated with the honored tradition of River Day, at which all students, alumni, faculty, family, and friends can race antique canoes down the Charles River. River Day began as a common hobby for Lasell students and was later transformed into the annual competition that has been held for over 100 years.
This year, River Day was held at Paddle Boston, a nearby business offering canoe and kayak rentals, rather than Lasell’s own boathouse. The institution’s facility where River Day normally takes place is undergoing construction, but is expected to be ready to welcome participants and host the races once again at next year’s FFAW.
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