Family Weekend

Schedule for Family Weekend 2022

Welcome to Brandeis! Please see our schedule below and check back regularly as activities are subject to change. Use this Family Weekend map which highlights key locations on campus.

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Friday, Oct. 28, 2022

Registration Check In
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Atrium
Hospitality Tent Open
Noon-4 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Gosman Sports and Convocation Center Gym Hours
7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Gosman is open for families to use the fitness facility. For a tour of the space, see the staff member at the front desk.
Brandeis Bookstore Open (Shapiro Campus Center first floor)
9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Current Exhibitions at the Rose Art Museum
11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Visit the Rose!
Parents Leadership Council Luncheon
Noon-2 p.m.
By invitation only. If you are interested in learning more about joining the Parents Leadership Council, visit brandeis.edu/plc.
Jum’ah Prayers
1:15 p.m.
Usdan Student Center
Join Muslim Chaplain Harun Spevack and the Muslim campus community for prayer in the Muslim Prayer Space in Usdan.

Sustainability Tour
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Atrium (meet at the bottom of the stairs)
Join student ambassadors for a tour of campus through a sustainability lens. Visit a pollinator garden, our newest/greenest building and learn about campus plans that help us reduce the university's carbon footprint. This is Brandeis' Year of Climate Action!
Open Houses; feel free to drop in anytime
2-4 p.m.
- Student Accessibility Support (SAS) Open House
  Usdan Student Center
  Come visit with our Student Accessibility Support (SAS) team! SAS works with students with disabilities, their instructors, and University staff to implement academic accommodations and facilitate requests for housing, dietary, parking, and Accessible Transport Van accommodations. All are invited to learn about the accommodations request process and available campus resources.
- Department of Student Engagement Open House
  Shapiro Campus Center 203
  Stop by the Department of Student Engagement to meet with the staff that support student organizations, community service, student events, and leadership opportunities. Learn about how our team connects students with opportunities to get involved both on and off campus.
- Academic Services Open House
  Usdan Student Center
  Come meet our team of Academic Advisors! Staff advisors work in partnership with students to develop, maintain, revise, and implement their academic plans. From thinking together about majors and minors and building balanced schedules to aspiring to special research opportunities and clarifying post-undergraduate plans, our advising team is here as a resource for students.
- Hiatt Open House: Your Students’ Career Center
  Usdan Student Center
  Come put the, “Hi,” in Hiatt! Our doors will be wide open Friday afternoon to all family members of Brandeis undergraduates. Stop by to meet our award-winning staff, explore the in-person and virtual resources available to your student, and ask any questions you may have.
The Beginnings of Brandeis: A History in Pictures
2:30-3 p.m.
Olin-Sang 101
In this virtual visit to University Archives & Special Collections, get a glimpse into the early history of Brandeis through images from our University Photography collection. This is an in-person presentation.
Student Leadership Panel Discussion
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Join us for a moderated panel discussion featuring student leaders representing a variety of different leadership experiences at Brandeis: student organization leaders, student employees, and everything in between! Students will share how they got involved, what they enjoy most about being a leader on campus, and what they have learned in these roles.
Admissions-led Campus Walking Tour
3-4 p.m.
Shapiro Admissions Center
The tour is open to anyone who registers. On the calendar, select the Oct. 28 Information Session and Campus Tour at 2:15 p.m. For those who prefer to skip the Information Session and just go on the tour, please arrive at the Admissions building at 3 p.m.
Photo Booth
3-6 p.m.
Create memories with your family at the photo booth located next to the Hospitality tent.
Brandeis Family Weekend 2022 Welcome Reception
4-6 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Join us under the Tent on the Great Lawn to officially welcome our families to campus. We will kick off the weekend with student performers, family photo and refreshments. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with faculty, staff and administrators through meet and greet conversation, tabling by university departments, and welcome remarks.
Men’s Soccer vs. Washington U.
5 p.m.
Soccer Field
Shabbat Services (Various Times and Locations)
Candle lighting is 5:25 p.m. in Levin Ballroom (Usdan)
Masorti (Conservative), Berlin Chapel at 5:45 p.m.
Orthodox, Sherman Function Hall, Hassenfeld Conference Center at 5:35 p.m.
Reform, International Lounge at 5:45p.m.
Shira Chadasha, Mandel Atrium at 5:35 p.m.
Shabbat Dinner
7 p.m.
Levin Ballroom
Oneg of desserts, singing and learning in International Lounge (Usdan) following dinner.
Women’s Soccer vs. Washington U.
7:30 p.m.
Soccer Field
ProSCREAMium
7:30-9 p.m.
Pollack Auditorium
Our Halloween show! Come and listen to some Proscreamium classics as well as new spooky songs the group is premiering at this event!
Late Night Trivia
8 p.m.
The Stein, Hassenfeld Conference Center
Join our student trivia hosts for a weekly Brandeis tradition!
Shabbat Walks
9:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Ballroom, Usdan Student Center
Members of Student Union and other volunteers will provide an escorted walk for families staying at the Newton Marriott. Walks will leave from Levin Ballroom at 9:30 and 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022

Registration Check In
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Atrium
Check in from 2-4 p.m. will be hosted at the Hospitality Tent.
Hospitality Tent Open
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Brandeis Bookstore Open (Shapiro Campus Center first floor)
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Class Coffee
9-10:30 a.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Join us under the Tent on the Great Lawn for coffee and a light breakfast and an opportunity to connect with families of students from the same graduation year. Staff will facilitate meet and greet activities that help families connect with each other. This program will be run on a rolling basis, so feel free to join in whenever you’d like!
Shabbat Services (Various Times and Locations)
Masorti (Conservative), Berlin Chapel at 10 a.m.
Orthodox, Sherman Function Hall, Hassenfeld Conference Center at 9 a.m.
Fitness Class: Pilates (Pre-registration required - ages 18+ only)
10 a.m.
Gosman Sports and Convocation Center
Indicate your interest in your registration form.
Gosman Sports and Convocation Center Gym Hours
10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Gosman is open for families to use the fitness facility. For a tour of the space, see the staff member at the front desk.
Hiatt Career Center Information Session: How We Work
10-10:30 a.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Hiatt helps students discover who they are, what they want, and how to get there. Our Director, Jon Schlesinger, will cover how we do just that with your student! He’ll share information about the transition to college and how your student can begin exploring and preparing for career paths of interest.
Safety @ Brandeis Information Session
10-11 a.m.
Olin-Sang 101
Public Safety is a service-oriented, professional police department dedicated to our campus community’s safety and well-being. The Brandeis University Medical Corps (BEMCo) is our student-run volunteer emergency medical service. Join administrators from Public Safety and student leaders from BEMCo for a presentation, discussion, and Q and A about safety on campus.
Navigating the College Admissions Process
10-11 a.m.
Shapiro Admissions Center
This information session, offered specifically to Family Weekend participants only, will be a special session designed for siblings and family members of current students.
Open Houses; feel free to drop in anytime
10 a.m.-noon
- Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations Open House
  Usdan Student Center
  The Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations Office supports undergraduate-faculty research partnerships through educational workshops, research advising, funding, and events. Undergraduates who are engaged in research projects with faculty will be available to share their experiences and answer your questions.
- Department of Community Living (DCL) Open House
  Usdan Student Center (open house)
  Come meet our Department of Community Living (DCL) team! Community Living staff works to establish a quality living environment in our residence halls and facilitate strong leadership development of Brandeis community members. There will be a formal presentation from the DCL team at 10:30 a.m.
- Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) Open House
  Usdan Student Center
  Visit our Gender and Sexuality Center at Brandeis! The GSC works to build a diverse and inclusive institution for women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and asexual (LGBTQ+) faculty, staff, and students. Student peer mentors and staff from the GSC will be available to give a tour of the Center, discuss the GSC’s programming, initiatives, and resources, and answer questions.
Archaeology and Me Panel
10 a.m.-noon
Schwartz Auditorium (presentation) Greenspace between Usdan and Library (activities)
Celebrate with us the past and future work of archaeologists and the ancient societies they have rediscovered. Guests of all ages are invited to learn from a panel of professional archaeologists, engage with real artifacts from Brandeis’s Classical Studies Artifact Research Collection, and participate in a family-friendly archaeological dig of their own! This event will feature a speaker panel on archaeology from 10-11 a.m., as well as outdoor activities: family friendly dig bins and an artifact touch cart from 10 a.m.-noon.
Admissions-led Campus Walking Tour
11 a.m.
Shapiro Admissions Center
This tour, offered specifically to Family Weekend participants only, will follow the Navigating the College Admissions Process session. It is not necessary to participate in both the session and the tour. Family members should feel free to do either or both.
Getting Connected @ Brandeis: On and Off Campus Involvement Experiences
11 a.m.-noon
Olin-Sang 101
Come learn about all the ways students get connected through clubs, programs, and service on and off campus. We will share the various ways students learn and grow personally and professionally through different types of involvement at Brandeis.
Current Exhibitions at the Rose Art Museum
11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Visit the Rose
Hiatt Career Center Information Session: Recruiting at Brandeis
11-11:30 a.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Brandeis students are highly sought after by employers in nearly every field. Our team at Hiatt maintains a robust recruiting ecosystem of these employers alongside alumni, parents, and volunteers so your student can partake in recruiting, networking, and career development opportunities. Attend our information session to learn more about these opportunities, our recruiting ecosystem, and the many resources available to students!
Wellness @ Brandeis Panel Discussion
11 a.m.-noon|
Schwartz Auditorium
Join us for a moderated panel discussion featuring administrators representing a variety of different dimensions of campus wellness resources, programming, and services. Panelists will share how their work supports student wel-being at Brandeis from physical health to mental wellness and a variety of other dimensions.
Faculty Presentation: Get to know a few of the most extraordinary trees on the Brandeis campus, with Professor Dan Perlman
11 a.m.-noon
Shapiro Admissions Center
On this walk, you will meet two living fossils, present-day trees that look virtually identical to ancient fossils; one of them has recognizable ancestors over 200 million years old! You will also meet, and feel, a tree that has the fuzziest leaves you will ever experience (unless you have led a life full of extraordinary trees). Professor Dan Perlman and his knowledgeable "Tree Class" Teaching Assistants will be your guides on this gentle walk from the Shapiro Admissions Building to the Shapiro Student Center.
Shabbat Lunch
Noon
Levin Ballroom
Lunch Break
Noon-2 p.m.
We are excited to be bringing two popular food trucks to campus at lunchtime on Saturday. Be sure to check out Chez Rafiki and Fresh Food Generation food trucks, which will be parked close to the hospitality tent, where you can sit to eat your lunch.
FAQs and information about hours of operations and menus for on-campus dining during Family Weekend are available on the Brandeis Hospitality website.
Create@Brandeis Craft Market
12-5 p.m.
Fellows Garden
Shop for handmade jewelry, ceramics, knitwear and more, all made by Brandeisians.
Creative Arts @ Brandeis Panel Discussion
2-3 p.m.
Schwartz Auditorium
Louis D. Brandeis believed that higher education should “awaken the creative instinct, encourage its exercise and development, and stimulate action,” and the creative arts have been a pillar of undergraduate education at Brandeis since the university's founding. Meet students from the Division of Creative Arts and hear about how the arts have opened up their worlds, and how the teaching of the arts Brandeis is meeting the needs of students in the 21st century.
Study Abroad Information Session
2-3 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Join us to hear from the Office of Study Abroad staff and Study Abroad Ambassadors on ways Brandeis students can expand their academic opportunities globally through studying abroad. Brandeis offers over 200 programs in 50 different countries with options for all majors and minors to study abroad. Students can study abroad for a semester, year, or during the summer. We'll talk through program options, finances including scholarship opportunities, ways to support your student through the process, and the application process.
The Kids Are Alright: Student Wellness in 2022
2-3 p.m.
Olin-Sang 101
Join Leah Berkenwald, Director of Health Promotion & Wellness Initiatives as well as student peer educators to learn about current trends and hot topics in student wellness, programs and services available to Brandeis students, and ways families can support their student's well-being and academic success
Apple Cider, Donuts and an Afternoon Chat with Student Affairs Leaders
2-3:30 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Join us for conversation with members of the Student Affairs leadership team. We will have members of our divisional staff available to meet informally to answer questions and share how we build community, provide support, and create an inclusive, vibrant Brandeis experience for students.
Women's Rugby vs WPI
2:45 p.m. kickoff
Soccer Field
Faculty Presentation: Women, Race, Sexuality, and Gender: Literature and our Collective Past, with Professor Harleen Singh
3-4 p.m.
Schwartz Auditorium
How does a story shape a memory? How does a novel become our way of interpreting a country, a culture, and a tradition? What does reading help us understand about ourselves, our bodies, and the world we live in? In this talk, Professor Harleen Singh, professor of literature and women's studies, director of the women's studies research center, and senior associate provost for faculty and global affairs, will talk about the importance of narrative — poem, poetry, novel, song, history, and culture — and its impact on how we comprehend the politics and representations of our world. How does a novel about China help us understand our relationship to immigration and labor? How does a novel about India shape our perceptions of religion, gender, politics, climate change and the environment? These are some of the questions we will explore through this short presentation and interaction.
Sustainability Tour
3-4 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Atrium (meet at the bottom of the stairs)
Join student ambassadors for a tour of campus through a sustainability lens. Visit a pollinator garden, our newest/greenest building and learn about campus plans that help us reduce the university's carbon footprint. This is Brandeis' Year of Climate Action!
Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative (BEJI): Exploring Carceral Justice on Campus
3-4 p.m.
Olin-Sang 101
BEJI is a group of students, staff, and faculty who believe in the power of education to improve the lives of people who are impacted by incarceration. Together, we build educational pathways for those impacted by the carceral system and advance carceral studies on campus. If you're interested in learning about carceral issues and/or want to learn more about how to agitate and advocate for carceral justice, come join us!
Study Abroad Information Session (Option 2)
3-4 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Join us to hear from the Office of Study Abroad staff and Study Abroad Ambassadors on ways Brandeis students can expand their academic opportunities globally through studying abroad. Brandeis offers over 200 programs in 50 different countries with options for all majors and minors to study abroad. Students can study abroad for a semester, year, or during the summer. We'll talk through program options, finances including scholarship opportunities, ways to support your student through the process, and the application process.
Family Bingo sponsored by Campus Activities Board (CAB)
4-5 p.m.
Levin Ballroom, Usdan Student Center
Join the Campus Activities Board (CAB) for bingo! Bring the whole family for a chance to win a variety of prizes. Shabbat friendly option available!
Mincha (Afternoon) Services (Various Times and Locations)
Masorti (Conservative), Berlin Chapel at 5:55 p.m.
Orthodox, Sherman Function Hall at 5:10 p.m. (Maariv 6:22 p.m.).
Shabbat ends at 6:27 p.m.
Campus Activities Board (CAB) Halloweekend Extravaganza
7-10 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center
Join CAB for our annual Halloweekend Extravaganza at the Shapiro Campus Center! We’ll have fun activities for all ages, including a Halloween movie, pumpkin and cookie decorating, face painting, tarot reading, mini golf, carnival games, and a costume contest! Snacks and drinks will be provided.
Student Performance Showcase
8-10 p.m.
Levin Ballroom, Usdan Student Center
Come enjoy a variety of performances from student groups and individuals at Brandeis! Join us in celebrating the arts and all the amazing talent our students have to offer! Check out the line-up on our website.
MusicUnitesUS presents: The Garifuna Collective — Afro-Indigenous Music from Belize & Honduras
8 p.m.
Slosberg Recital Hall
Belize's celebrated Garifuna Collective — a seasoned group of musicians that spans generations, carrying the torch for their unique Afro-Amerindian cultural heritage and weaving soulful melodies with rhythms both indigenous and African — caps off their weeklong MusicUnitesUS residency with a performance that is sure to spark the history and soul of Garifuna culture into vivid life!

Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022

Hospitality Tent Open
9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Brandeis Bookstore Open (Shapiro Campus Center first floor)
9 a.m.-noon
Faculty Presentation: White Supremacy and Antisemitism: Lessons from the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, with Professor Jonathan Sarna
9-10 a.m.
Levin Ballroom, Usdan Student Center
Antisemitic aspects of the Jan. 6 rampage on the U.S. Capitol have received insufficient attention. Properly understood, the antisemitic images from that day reveal much about White Supremacist antisemitism in contemporary America.
Warning: This presentation contains disturbing content and images related to violence and antisemitism.
Brandeis Legacy Family Celebration
10-11:30 a.m.
By invitation only for Brandeis alumni families
Catholic Mass
10-11 a.m.
Bethlehem Chapel
Come share worship and a thoughtful sermon with the Brandeis Catholic community. Mass is celebrated by a variety of priests from the local community.
Student Union Pumpkin Fest
10 a.m.-noon
Shapiro Campus Center Great Lawn
Pumpkin Fest pumpkin carving, painting, and an opportunity for families to connect with Student Union leadership. A pumpkin carving contest will be held during the event with prizes for the winner!
Create@Brandeis Craft Market
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Fellows Garden (rain location: Shapiro Campus Center)
Shop for handmade jewelry, ceramics, knitwear and more, all made by Brandeisians.
Gosman Sports and Convocation Center Gym Hours
10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Gosman is open for families to use the fitness facility. For a tour of the space, see the staff member at the front desk.
Behind the Scenes with Undergraduate Theater Collective (UTC)
11 a.m.-noon
Shapiro Campus Center Theater
The Undergraduate Theater Collective offers you an exclusive chance to take a behind the scenes tour of the Shapiro Campus Center Theater and hear about all the opportunities offered both on and off stage throughout the year!
Chapels Open House
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
The Harlan and Bethlehem chapels will be open with coffee and treats on hand by the pond.
Family Weekend Soccer Tailgate Experience
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Soccer Field
Join us for a double header soccer tailgate experience. Brandeis faces off against Chicago; Men’s Soccer at 11 a.m. and Women’s Soccer at 1:30 p.m. Featuring giveaways, family-friendly competitions and lawn games, and the PennyPackers food truck!
Current Exhibitions at the Rose Art Museum
11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Visit the Rose!

Family Weekend

Schedule for Family Weekend 2022

Friday, Oct. 28, 2022

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022

Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022

Questions or Concerns?