After last year’s Coug Dad of the Year Award went to a student’s brother, a committee of staff members rebranded WSU’s Mom’s and Dad’s Weekends to Family Weekends. 

The rebrand was done to increase inclusivity, said Kari Sampson, assistant director of student experience and external relations. 

The decision comes after nearly a year of discussions about how WSU can increase inclusiveness on campus. This includes strategies to make more community members and parents feel welcome on- and off-campus, Sampson said.

“We also want to invite uncles and grandparents … for those who don’t have moms and dads,” she said.  

Although the names are changing, the events for Family Weekends will likely remain similar, she said.

WSU will move toward de-gendering the advertising and marketing of events for the weekends, Sampson said.  

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the first Family Weekend, which will start on Oct. 9, will be entirely online, she said.  

The roster for October includes a virtual paint night and an expanded Chosen Coug Award ceremony, where the winner will be chosen from 50 nominees, she said. 

Last year’s winner of the Coug Dad of the Year Award boosted the Division of Student Affairs’ movement toward inclusivity. 

“So we were just seeing all these signs that organically were leading towards us needing to make this change,” she said.