Dad's Day lives on

Students and their families gather for a weekend spent celebrating the legacy of dads for a university event in early November.

Dad’s Day, a University of Oklahoma weekend event held by Campus Activities Council, continued its tradition on Nov. 7-9 by making the weekend unique from previous events.

“Dad’s Day began at OU in the fall of 1928 in response to students’ desire for a way to spend time with their family while at school,” said Drew Cochran, Dad’s Day Chair for 2014.

Many years later, in 1971, CAC took over the responsibility of planning and programming for the event after the organization’s formation on campus.

Each year the event is different because of CAC’s yearly selection of committees. The events that are programmed are always changing based on the visions of each new executive and how well they execute that vision, Cochran said. 

This event practices tradition and the legacy it leaves behind, but changes are enforced throughout the years, such as the change with the Dad’s Day Watch Party at the Meacham Auditorium.

“One of my visions from the start of this year was to have the watch party in a more dad-friendly environment and one that is not hidden within one of the largest and most complex building on campus,” Cochran said.

The event has gained popularity over time. The football game that is the center of the whole weekend and the bigger and better ranked opponents tend to draw in a larger crowd, Cochran said.

Dad’s Day is meant to celebrate family, but documenting those memories was important for students and their families, according to Cochran.

“Students and their parents wanted a way to commemorate this fun weekend, so the Dad’s Day executive committee found a solution for this in the form of a cool T-shirt,” Cochran said.

This year was the second year that Dad’s Day has offered a university-wide T-shirt to the students and their parents, according to Cochran.

The most significant event for students and their fathers, according to Cochran, is the Father of the Year Brunch. The brunch awards one of the many fathers that have been elected by students with short answer-style essays to questions based on a rubric by a selection committee.

“Winning this award is a great honor for a father and there really is a special bond that a lot of students feel with their fathers at this event,” Cochran said.

Events like Dad’s Day are a great opportunity for both OU and CAC because it allows families to witness the students’ environment, said Quy Nguyen, CAC Advisor in Student Life. The event specifically caters to fathers and families and welcomes them in an OU tradition.

“It is a great way to honor the people in our lives that make going to OU possible,” Quy Nguyen said.