2024 Friends and Family Weekend Program, October 25-27
8:30 AM-12:00 PM – FRIENDS AND FAMILY WEEKEND WELCOME AND INFO DESK,Paresky Center, Baxter Hall. INFORMATION ONLY--Meet some of the Class Deans. Registration is not required.
9:00-10:15 AM – CAMPUS TOUR, Weston Hall. Led by student admission guides.
10:00 AM-5:00 PM – WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, WCMA is open 10-5 each day. Admission is always free. Information here.
10:00 AM-4:00 PM – LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, Sawyer Library. Visit the College Archives and Chapin Library to view a selection of rare books, manuscripts, and archives that are being used in Williams classrooms. The current exhibits include Celebrating 100 Years of James Baldwin and Fragmentology: Rediscovering Medieval Manuscript Fragments.
11:30 AM-2:00 PM –PARESKY DINING HALL OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
11:30-2:00 PM – DRISCOLL DINING HALL OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
11:30-12:45 PM – “THIS I BELIEVE,”Faculty House (lower level). A panel of students from a Williams-wide variety of traditions and perspectives reflecting on their experiences with faith, spirituality and morality on campus. Join us for lunch to meet our Chaplain to the College, The Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer; Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi Seth Wax; Catholic Chaplain, Bridget Power; and Muslim Chaplain, Sidra Mahmood.
12:45 PM – JUMUAH PRAYERS, Muslim Prayer Room, Thompson Memorial Chapel (lower level). Followed by a social gathering in the Interfaith Common Room, also located on the chapel’s lower level. All are welcome!
3:00-4:00 PM – YOUR STUDENT'S INTERNSHIP AND CAREER EXPLORATION: THE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW.Griffin Hall, Room 3. Panel discussion with directors and students from the ’68 Center for Career Exploration. In this popular session, you will learn from Williams Career Center Directors and peer advisors how to support your student's career exploration process starting in their first semester through senior year. You will learn about critical internship programs, expert career advising, the Williams Alumni network, Winter Study opportunities, major selection, post-graduate jobs, graduate school preparation, and more. You will be amazed and inspired by the opportunities and decisions ahead for your student. Bring your questions and be prepared to take notes!
3:00-4:15 PM– CAMPUS TOUR, Weston Hall. Led by student admission guides.
3:00-4:15 PM– DAVIS CENTER TOUR, Davis Center. Led by Bilal Ansari and Scott Henderson. Meet at Morley Circle (outside of the Davis Center) at 3:00PM. Sign up here
3:00-5:00 PM - WCMA PUBLIC WORKSHOP: ARTIST PALLAVI SEN, Williams College Museum of Art, will lead participants in a still-life drawing workshop inspired by her exhibition. All materials will be provided, participants will be drawing with oil pastels on paper. Advance registration required; more information here.
4:15 PM - PROF. JUAN DIEGO DIAZ - CLASS OF 1960 MUSIC LECTURE,Bernhard Music Center, Room 30. Juan Diego Díaz is an ethnomusicologist with a geographic research interest in Africa and its diaspora, particularly Brazil and West Africa. He explores how African diasporic musics circulate and transform across the Atlantic and how they serve individuals and communities in identity formation. His book Africanness in Action (Oxford University Press, 2021) focuses on how musicians from Bahia, Brazil understand and negotiate essentialist notions about African music and culture. He is also a long-term Capoeira Angola practitioner and has led capoeira, berimbau, and samba ensembles.
4:30-5:30 PM – DANCE DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE, Dance Studio,’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. The dancers and directors from the Department’s ensembles offer visitors a rare behind-the-scenes look into the how each ensemble trains and rehearses along with sneak previews of works in progress. Learn More. All are welcome!
5:00-8:00 PM – DRISCOLL AND PARESKY DINING HALLS OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
6:00 PM – SHABBAT SERVICE AND DINNER, Jewish Religious Center. Shabbat evenings at JRC are the heart of the Jewish community at Williams. Every Friday, students lead a service beginning at 6:00 PM and then gather for Shabbat dinner at 7:15 PM. The JRC welcomes the Williams community to its home-cooked kosher Shabbat dinner. Friends/Family Friendly.
6:00 PM-7:00 PM - WCMA CONVERSATION, Williams College Museum of Art, Join artist Pallavi Sen with curators Roz Crews and Nicholas Liou in the gallery for a conversation about Sen’s exhibition Colour Theory. More information here.
7:00 PM – FROSH REVUE 2024,Paresky Auditorium. A comedic, family-friendly celebration of the Williams first-year experience. Appearing annually since time immemorial, Frosh Revue features nine energetic freshman stars and an hour of zany fun in this traditional fall offering. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased at the door.
8:00 PM – A CAPPELLA SHOW BY EPHLATS, OCTET, & PURPLE RAIN, Goodrich Hall. Come enjoy a show from a unique trio of talented a cappella groups at Goodrich Hall!
8:00 PM – ZEISS PLANETARIUM SHOW/OBSERVE THE NIGHT SKY, Old Hopkins Observatory, Fitch-Prospect Quad. Space is limited. Sign up to participate! Please note that doors remain closed for the entire program (approximately one hour). Immediately following, you will be invited to observe the night sky (weather permitting), Rooftop, Thompson Physics and Astronomy Lab, 33 Lab Campus Drive.
7:30-10:00 AM – COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST, Paresky Dining Hall. (Breakfast is complimentary in Paresky Dining Hall only: family members must pay in Driscoll.)
8:30-9:20 AM – BLACK AFFINITY BREAKFAST, Rice House. Join the Black Student Union at Rice House for a special Black Affinity Breakfast during Friends and Family Weekend! Come enjoy great food, and community as we celebrate and connect with Black students, faculty, families, and friends.
9:00-10:15 AM – CAMPUS TOUR, Weston Hall. Led by student admission guides.
10:00 AM-5:00 PM – WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, WCMA is open 10-5 each day. Admission is always free. Information here.
9:30 AM-10:15 AM –PANEL DISCUSSION: INSIDE THE WILLIAMS CLASSROOM, MainStage, ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. Sara Dubow, Professor of History; Sara Dubow will be talking about different approaches she’s taken to and experiences she’s had with teaching controversial and painful issues in History courses, Nelly Rosario, Chair and Associate Professor of Latina/o Studies; Nelly Rosario discusses how students have exercised interdisciplinarity in her courses on fiction, DNA studies, and archival storytelling, David Tucker-Smith, Chair and Halvorsen Professor of Distinguished Teaching and Research of Physics; David Tucker-Smith will discuss collaborative faculty/student science research at Williams, focusing on examples from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
10:30 AM-11:15AM –PANEL DISCUSSION: OUTSIDE THE WILLIAMS CLASSROOM, MainStage, ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. Representatives from the Center for Learning in Action, Davis Center, and the Zilkha Center for the Environment, will showcase some of Williams’ comprehensive extracurricular activities.
11:30 AM-12:30PM– FAMILY DAYS ASSEMBLY, MainStage, ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. Maud S. Mandel, President and Professor of History, and Gretchen Long, Dean of the College and Frederick Rudolph '42 - Class of 1965 Professor of American Culture.
11:00 AM-12:00pm - WCMA CURATORIAL CLOSE LOOK, Williams College Museum of Art, A member of WCMA’s curatorial team will lead a tour exploring themes and topics in Pallavi Sen: Colour Theory. More information here.
11:30-2:00 PM – DRISCOLL AND PARESKY DINING HALLS OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
11:30 AM-12:45 PM – CAMPUS TOUR, Weston Hall. Led by student admission guides.
12:30 PM - MEN'S SOCCER VS CONNECTICUT COLLEGE, Cole Field
1:00 PM - WOMEN'S SOCCER VS CONNECTICUT COLLEGE, Cole Field
1:00 PM-4:00 PM – LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, Sawyer Library. Visit the College Archives and Chapin Library to view a selection of rare books, manuscripts, and archives that are being used in Williams classrooms. The current exhibits include Celebrating 100 Years of James Baldwin and Fragmentology: Rediscovering Medieval Manuscript Fragments.
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM - INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, FACULTY & STAFF FAMILIES COFFEE & DONUTS MIXER, Davis Center, Multipurpose room. Sponsored by the Chaplains' Office and Dean's Office. If your friends and family are not able to attend Friends and Family weekend, come meet other students, faculty, and staff and their families with fall-themed food with cider doughnuts, apple cider, and coffee. We will also be having a sign-up sheet for families who may want to volunteer to host students over Thanksgiving at their home(s). For questions, please email Muslim Chaplain at sm45@williams.edu
5:00-8:00 PM – DRISCOLL AND PARESKY DINING HALLS OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
7:00 PM – FROSH REVUE 2024,Paresky Auditorium. A comedic, family-friendly celebration of the Williams first-year experience. Appearing annually since time immemorial, Frosh Revue features nine energetic freshman stars and an hour of zany fun in this traditional fall offering. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased at the door.
7:30 PM – ZAMBEZI MARIMBA BAND FAMILY DAYS CONCERT, Chapin Hall. The Zambezi Marimba Band features danceable and melodious marimba music from Zambia and Zimbabwe. Zambezi is a diverse group and employs singers, a horn section and other instruments to its solid marimba fundament. More a joyous celebration than just a concert, the band wins over every audience with its flair and irresistibly kinetic energy. This is an event for the whole family – for those who want to move, or if you just want to enjoy a wonderful evening. Free, no tickets required.
8:00 PM – ZEISS PLANETARIUM SHOW/OBSERVE THE NIGHT SKY, Old Hopkins Observatory, Fitch-Prospect Quad. Space is limited. Sign up to participate! Please note that doors remain closed for the entire program (approximately one hour). Immediately following, you will be invited to observe the night sky (weather permitting), Rooftop, Thompson Physics and Astronomy Lab, 33 Lab Campus Drive.
8:30 PM – ACAPELLA SHOWCASE, Goodrich Hall. Come enjoy a showcase of the great Acapella groups Williams has to offer! This event highlights the talents of our students outside the classroom and on the stage!
7:30-10:30 AM – DRISCOLL DINING HALL OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
9:00 AM – HIKE WITH THE WILLIAMS OUTING CLUB - Join WOC for one of two hikes. Option A) Pine Cobble, a 3 mile round trip hike up and down the Pine Cobble - this hike ascends ~1200', is moderately strenuous, and will last ~3 hours. The trail is rocky and can be muddy/slippery at times. Option B) Stone Hill/Clark Art Hike, a 1.5 mile hike on the trails surrounding the Clark Art Museum - this hike has ~300' of elevation gain on wide, mostly flat trails, and will last ~1 hour. Both options will depart at 9:00 AM from the front steps of Paresky. Please come with water and sturdy boots or shoes. Space is limited, and advance sign ups are required. Please sign-up here. You will receive an email in advance of Sunday confirming your spot on the hike. In the event of rain, these hikes will be cancelled.
10:00-11:00 AM – JEWISH RELIGIOUS CENTER FIRST-YEAR FAMILIES BRUNCH, Jewish Religious Center. Families are invited to a student-cooked breakfast.
10:00 am - 11:00 am - DESAYUNO CON LA FAMILIA!/LATINX AFFINITY BREAKFAST,La Casa (Spencer House). Join VISTA in La Casa (Spencer House) for a surprise breakfast! Come enjoy a secret treat and get to know other Latine/x students, families, and friends.
10:00 AM-5:00 PM – WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, WCMA is open 10-5 each day. Admission is always free. Information here.
11:00 - 2:00 PM –PARESKY DINING HALL and 11:30 - 2:00PM DRISCOLL DINING HALL OPEN FOR STUDENTS AND GUESTS. See pay options under "Dining Halls" near the end of this schedule.
2:00 PM – FROSH REVUE 2024,Paresky Auditorium. A comedic, family-friendly celebration of the Williams first-year experience. Appearing annually since time immemorial, Frosh Revue features nine energetic freshman stars and an hour of zany fun in this traditional fall offering. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased at the door.
5:30 PM – THE FEAST, St. John’s Church, 35 Park St. A progressive Christian community welcoming people of all perspectives for a home-cooked meal and brief worship service. Come when you can, leave when you must! Friends/Family welcome.
7:30 PM – CATHOLIC MASS, Main Sanctuary, Thompson Memorial Chapel. Fr. Philip Nolan, O.P. (Williams '13).
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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
CAMPUS SAFETY
Campus Safety and Security (413) 597-4444
DINING HALLS
Driscoll and Paresky Dining Halls are open to families, who can pay with credit cards or their students’ EPH-Points. Breakfast: $10, Lunch: $14, Dinner: $19.50. A complimentary Saturday breakfast will be served in Paresky Dining Hall only
LOST AND FOUND
Campus Safety and Security on the ground floor of Hopkins Hall (413) 597-4444.
LODGING, TRANSPORTATION, RESTAURANTS
For driving directions, transport, local restaurants and accommodations, go to williams.edu/visitors.
PARKING
We recommend that you leave your car in the Williams parking garage on Whitman Street (between Park Street and Route 7 in the northwest corner of campus) and walk to events in and around campus.
ACCESSIBILITY
Every effort is made to anticipate the needs of all our guests. Although we cannot provide wheelchairs, we encourage you to contact Surgimed at least one week in advance if you need such services (Surgimed, 109 Eagle Street, North Adams, MA, 413-663-8655).
Families of current Williams students are always welcome to play the college’s historic Taconic Golf Course at reduced fees. Tee times are recommended and available five days in advance by calling the pro shop at 413-458-3997.
ATHLETIC FACILITIES
Under the age of 13 are not permitted in the Fitness Center, and 13-15 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian 16 years of age or older. Under the age of 16 cannot use the weight room or upper Lasell; they can use the basketball courts, squash, or pool provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian 18 years or older.
Williams’ outdoor athletic facilities — Cole Fields, the tennis courts, the track, and both turf fields at the Weston Athletic Complex — are open to everyone — students, faculty, staff, members of the Williamstown community, and visitors. Please be mindful of scheduled in-season varsity athletic, club, RSO and IM sessions which are typically held Monday through Friday 4-7 P.M.