Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my father. I think he is the greatest and most accomplished man I know, and I love him dearly.

However, the premise of Dad’s Weekend represents a viewpoint of the American family that no longer exists. Even more onerous is its implication of families that are composed of biological mother and father.

The Atlantic reported in 2013 that single moms make up one quarter of all American households. Single dads make up six percent. Applying this to WSU, around one in four of your fellow Cougs only has a mom around, while six out of 100 only has a dad. Dads Weekend naively assumes the staple WSU family has both.

The Pew Research Center reported in 2014 that 72 percent of black infants, 53 percent of Hispanic infants and 29 percent of white infants were born to single mothers. This means you will see a lot of white dads this weekend.

There is some good news, however. At least 15 percent of dads arriving this weekend will be coming from a family that is a mixture of the onerous social construct we call race.

Moreover, there is a growing likelihood that Cougs will have LGBT parents. The same Pew report indicated 48 percent of LGBT women and 20 percent of LGBT men were parents as of 2015.

If WSU wants to consider itself a progressive and forward-thinking institution it needs to get rid of separate Mom’s and Dad’s Weekends. The fact that we still have these events on the calendar represents nothing less than the dogged, backward insistence on viewing the WSU and, by extension, American family as heteronormative and, frankly, white.

Anecdotally, I can say that moms will be coming this weekend, too. Inasmuch as a dad likely misses his child, so does a mom. The fact that this weekend is a festival of football and beer should not mean this is a weekend just for dad – I know lots of women who enjoy football, beer and Gabriel Iglesias, too.

It also does not make particular sense for Dad’s Weekend to be in November and Mom’s Weekend in April without falling on old stereotypes.

This is not to say I am accusing the university of intentional malice. On the contrary, I think WSU does an exemplary job of providing the resources and protections for minority groups befitting a top-rated university. Honestly, I just do not think anyone has thought of the politics and unspoken prejudices behind a separated Dad’s Weekend and Mom’s Weekend.

Here is my solution: we have two big family weekends, one in the fall and one in the spring. No one will be excluded, and WSU can proudly state that it celebrates and embraces its families – all its families. Moreover, its presents an opportunity for working parents to plan ahead so as to avail themselves of this opportunity to dote on their loving children.

I take a page from my undergraduate alma mater, Gonzaga, and its Fall Family Weekend every second weekend in October. Events, open houses, live shows, pep rallies and sporting events all mark this occasion. Even better, it celebrates the family regardless of its shape, size or flavor.

In the future, I do not want to be funneled into a stereotype of a Dad’s Weekend or a Mom’s Weekend. I would much prefer to come to a place in April to November. I’m not much for football and beer, but I do like Fluffy. Ultimately, I want to come to my child’s university events and know the university is celebrating my family and not my white, male dad status.

Tyler Laferriere is a first year master’s student in applied economics and statistics from Phoenix, Ariz. He 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 the Office of Student Media.