Another Dad's Weekend passed through Athens
By Hannah Drown, Staff Writer
January 30, 2008 | 6:49 p.m.
This past weekend was not unlike the norm. Starting on Friday afternoon, the father-daughter and father-son pairs started sprouting up everywhere. The dads were here, and they were ready. Their yearly return was seen far and wide. From the smell of Lysol after last minute cleaning to booming businesses and extra long lines at those restaurants that students can't afford, all noticed the presence of fathers.
One of the best effects on Athens is extra business. “Business was definitely up this Dad's Weekend,” said George Carey, an employee at AmeriHost Inn and Suites Athens. AmeriHost had been booked since around October for this weekend, which is not unusual. “We usually book even earlier than we did this year,” Carey said.
Even with the high occupancy, the dads treated the hotel with respect. There was no apparent student drinking, and the rooms were left relatively clean.
As with any busy weekend, a lot of responsibility lies on the resident assistants (RAs) in the resident halls. “It [Dad's Weekend] was more under control than last year,” Weld Hall RA Michael Goode said. Being an RA always involves some anxiety about confronting problem students. This can be amplified when RAs are not only confronting the students but their parents as well.
“A parent feels that the rules of the school don't apply to them,” Goode said. Along with all the wholesome father time comes the ugly, often inevitable incidences. In the wee hours of the morning on Court Street, one can find dads trying to pick up girls half their age, students helping their dads walk home and dads vomiting in the alleys.
“It’s inexcusable the way some of these dads act,” said Robert Shaffer, a father who attended this Dad's Weekend. Above all, the fathers are here to spend quality time with their children, no matter how short that time is. Many fathers, especially those whose children are underclassmen, have never been away from their child for this long.
“I think this weekend is a great occasion," Shaffer said. "I enjoy spending time with my daughter. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
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