Best of CASE District VI Award
 

Institution: Washington University in St. Louis

Title of entry: Bears Family Dinner

About this entry: The Student Transitions & Family Programs office, in partnership with the Student Affairs Marketing & Communications office at Washington University, hosted the inaugural Bears Family Dinner event in October 2023 as a part of the annual Parent & Family Weekend activities. Bears Family Dinner is a two-night event where students who do not have families visiting for the weekend are invited to attend a dinner with fellow students, faculty and staff at the City Foundry STL- a venue comprised of 19 locally-owned restaurants. The goal of the event is to better engage with all students during the weekend, not just the ones who have family attending. Historically, students who do not have family members visiting feel left out and do not engage as much with the events during the weekend which could led to students feeling disconnected and alone.

The event created an unique and fun opportunity for students to not only be involved in the local St. Louis community, but to also enjoy a free meal while building connections with faculty, staff and fellow students. A total of 121 students attended the event over the two nights and engaged with 23 faculty and staff members while there. As a pilot event, we believe this event was a huge success and that our students felt a better sense of belonging to WashU and their community.