Siblings Weekend returns

After a three-year absence, Siblings Weekend is making its return to IU April 12-14. Students' siblings, cousins and friends ages 13 and older are are invited to attend this two-and-a-half-day event. The IU Student Association and the Residence Halls Association, the two organizations overseeing the weekend, have scheduled a full weekend of events with Saturday, April 13 holding the main attractions. The day's events include a carnival, tours of Assembly Hall, a concert and a casino night in the Foster Quad formal lounge. \nUntil 1998, Sibs Weekend, as it has been dubbed, was run by the Student Alumni Association. It has since been taken over by IUSA and RHA. \n"We felt it was important to bring Sibs Weekend back to campus -- not only for the siblings and students but for the whole school," said senior Ian Yost, director of services for IUSA and co-coordinator for Sibs Weekend. "After the past few years of alcohol related mishaps, and now rioting, we hope that Sibs Weekend will be a strong moral boost for the entire campus." \nSince this is a RHA event, only the residence halls will be officially housing siblings. Those students who live off campus, in sororities or fraternities are encouraged to participate; however, they must find housing for their siblings on their own. In the case of an opposite sex sibling coming to visit, the residence halls have devised a plan where floors will buddy up with each other. Visiting siblings will have to stay on their same sex floor for the weekend. The guidelines are posted on the Sibs Weekend Web site.\nAll resident halls will be housing guests for the two-night stay. However, the same guidelines that pertain to current residents will also pertain to their siblings. \n"There will be a strict no alcohol policy, such as the one we now have," said junior Erin Ransford, former RHA vice president of programming and co-coordinator of Sibs Weekend. "Students are responsible for their siblings and the activities of their siblings. We just hope everyone enjoys themselves." \nEvents begin 8 p.m. Friday night with a movie and at an undetermined location.They will then continue Saturday with a full day of activities. There will be a carnival from 11a.m. to 2 p.m., with lunch provided. At 1 p.m., the Office of Admissions will be conducting one-hour tours. At 2 p.m., in conjunction with Student Athletic Board, tours of Assembly Hall and the fieldhouse will take place. After that, in the South Lobby of Assembly Hall, an autograph session with student athletes from various sports will begin at 3 p.m. \n From 4 to 6 p.m. there will be a concert in Dunn Meadow featuring mens' a capella group Straight No Chaser and other bands, who will be announced in the near future. A casino will conclude the night from 8-11 p.m. in the Foster Quad formal lounge.\n Food will only be provided for lunch Saturday. All other meals are the responsibility of the student. "We have left an adequate amount of time between activities for students to take their siblings out to eat and show them around campus and Bloomington," Ransford said. \nTransportation information is also posted on the Web site, with links to Bloomington Shuttle and other modes of transportation. \nParents are welcomed to join their children in attending Siblings Weekend but are not required to come. \n"This being the first year that IUSA and RHA has paired together to do such a thing, we are going into the unknown, and are not sure what to expect," Yost said. "But everyone is very excited and very enthusiastic about the whole weekend."\nRegistration for the weekend is available online at www.indiana.edu/~sibs . IUSA and RHA recommend registering on the Web site. There will also be on-site registering for those who need to register late. The cost is $10 per visitor, and siblings must be registered at the residence hall where they are staying. Registration is from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday night.\nQuestions or comments should be directed to Ian Yost or Erin Ransford at sibs@indiana.edu.