Well, it’s that time of year again.

Since 1927, Mom’s Weekend has given students the opportunity to bond with the special woman in their lives.

As an ode to our mothers, the university hosts a variety of activities and showcases to entice parents to visit their children and the campus. For the duration of the weekend, the city of Pullman explodes with welcoming vibrancy and activity.

However, while the many clubs and departments at Washington State University have put time and effort into planning the weekend, the majority of the events appeal to mother-and-daughter pairings, a very specific demographic on campus.

The calendar of events boasts a wide variety of activities including tea parties, fashion shows, beauty expositions, and wine tasting. While such events may interest young women and their mothers, it may not inspire excitement in mothers, daughters and sons who prefer less than the typical girly-girl repertoire of activities.

The campus demographics demonstrate a pretty even split between male and female students. By gearing most of the activities toward mothers and their daughters, the campus ignores a substantial population of the study body.

Some parents and their children may enjoy participating in the mini-golf events or the movie showings of “American Hustle,” but by and large, many of the events do not appeal to the tastes the demographic of mothers and their sons.

Although the university offers campus tours and open houses, these events do not foster the same mother-son bonding experiences as some of the activities such as the spa and tea or yoga with mom events, which are designed to appeal to mothers and their daughters.

Although Mom’s Weekend plays a substantial role in the rich tradition of Washington State University, it might be time to give the event a facelift.

Most people, both men and women, can agree that an indulgent pampering session may provide a relaxing venue to de-stress, but the weekend activities should be designed to include more activities for people with different interests.

Although many mothers may enjoy the weekend splurge in fashion and beauty, others may prefer to engage in a different variety of activities.

We’re a big campus. It would be only fair to conduct an event to include all mothers and their children, regardless of their interests and tastes or preferences for activity.

No two mothers are alike, and we shouldn’t treat them as if they all shared a common interest in the traditional vein of activities. By widening the breadth of events, the university can appeal to a greater audience and prove to be more successful in bringing together parents and children as a campus community.

It’s the mother’s interests we have in mind, after all.

– Michelle Chan is a sophomore animal science major from Phoenix, Ariz. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.