Parents, students and other fans are invited to learn about UCF’s academic programs Saturday before cheering on the Knights.
As part of Family Weekend, eight UCF colleges will host open houses — most of which feature tours and opportunities to speak with faculty and staff members — before the football game against Boston College kicks off at 8 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Throughout the weekend, UCF Athletics, colleges and campus groups also will commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
Students who attend the open houses will be eligible to win a family four pack of tickets to the Marshall game on Oct. 8 or a $50 scholarship for textbooks.
To be eligible, students should stop by the College Open House table in the Student Union between 11 a.m. and noon to pick up a passport and map of the colleges. Use the passport to collect one-inch buttons from each participating college and return them to the College Open House staff in the Student Union by 4 p.m. to earn entries into the drawing.
For the Boston College game, most of the campus will open at noon for tailgating activities. Some of the parking lots closest to the stadium, which require special game day parking permits, will open at 8 a.m. The open container waiver for alcohol will be in effect in all tailgating areas from noon until kickoff for fans 21 and older.
Fans are reminded that glass containers and animals, except for service animals, are not allowed on campus on game days. Visit www.UCFGameDay.com for the latest information about game day traffic, parking, tickets and more.
Fans with questions about game day also can call 407-882-FANS (3267) beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday.
College Open House Day
Saturday’s activities will begin at 10 a.m. Besides the college open houses, there will be tours of Career Services & Experiential Learning and receptions with Housing & Residence Life, LEAD Scholars and Multicultural Academic and Support Services.
At the College of Education, visitors can play “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?” and compete in a free-throw contest with UCF men’s and women’s basketball players. The College of Arts and Humanities will offer guests tours of its new music and theatre buildings as well as performances by its talented students.
For the College of Business Administration, Sean Snaith, the director of UCF’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness, will present his national and state economic forecasts in Business Administration I. At the College of Sciences, visitors can participate in interactive demonstrations with faculty members from the Nicholson School of Communication and Anthropology and Chemistry departments.
Burnett Honors College activities include a parents meeting, mini lectures and a cook out. The College of Medicine and the College of Health and Public Affairs will hold open houses at the Health and Public Affairs I building.
While the campus opens at noon for tailgating activities, fans attending the College Open Houses can park in most lots and garages in the game day Red Zone and Blue Zone on Saturday morning or afternoon. Click on those links for parking information and maps.
To learn more about the College Open Houses, visit http://www.openhouse.ucf.edu.
9/11 Remembrances
Beginning with a pre-game moment of silence, the UCF-Boston College football game will include several tributes to local heroes and the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
University of Central Florida fans will show their support for former Boston College lacrosse player and Sept. 11 hero Welles Crowther by wearing red bandanas on Saturday.
As part of the halftime festivities, UCF will pay tribute to Green Berets from the 20th Special Forces group that recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan. Noteworthy to the UCF community, both the previous and current commanders of this Special Forces team are graduates of UCF and the UCF Army ROTC program.
A UCF football player will lead the team on the field carrying a very special American flag. In 2009, Eneriko Sauvao, father of then-UCF football player Wes Tunuufi Sauvao, sent the Knights a battle-used American flag and a video greeting from overseas while he was serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. In 2009 and 2010, in honor of his father, as well as all of those serving in active duty, Sauvao led the team out onto the Bright House Networks Stadium field carrying the flag.
UCF also will honor its own members of the Air Force and Army ROTC units based on the University of Central Florida campus. In addition, cadets from both the Air Force and Army will be performing Color Guard duties.
On Saturday at the College of Engineering & Computer Science, visitors can write letters and draw pictures for troops overseas.
Theatre MFA student Jason Nettle will perform “9/11,” a one-man show he wrote about New York City and Sept. 11, 2001. The reading will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, in Studio 1 of the Performing Arts Center.
Family Weekend Activities
Family Weekend activities on campus from Friday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Sept. 11, include:
–The Recreation & Wellness Center will have a free open gym throughout the weekend for parents and siblings over the age of 18. Picture identification is required.
–The Florida Lottery will host an ice cream social for Bright Futures scholars and their families from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, on Memory Mall.
–The Robinson Observatory will be open for all to visit from 8:30 to10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9. Telescopes will be set up for stargazing, allowing visitors to get up-close views of stars and planets.
–Late Knights Arabian Knights will be held Friday, Sept. 9, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Memory Mall. Free food, fun, games and giveaways will be provided.
–The Rosen College of Hospitality Management will host Family Weekend brunches Sunday, Sept. 11, in the Disney Dining Room on the Rosen Campus. Brunches begin at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The cost is free for Rosen students and $7 for guests.
For more information on Family Weekend, visit http://fye.sdes.ucf.edu/familyweekend/.