The UA Mall was buzzing with the banter of parents and the laughter of children yesterday afternoon at UA Family Fun Day.
UA Family Fun Day, sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Council as part of the statewide GPSC Appreciation Week, featured information about various on-campus support systems for parents, as well as a large inflatable obstacle course, a jumping castle and face painting.
Although the UA always had a family activity during this week, this is the first time the community had the opportunity to participate in Family Fun Day, said Amanda Brobbel, president of the GPSC.
Brobbel said the event intended to recognize and help meet the need for more family-oriented services on campus.
"We wanted to draw attention to how many people there are with children on campus, because more needs to be done to meet their needs," said Brobbel, a graduate student specializing in English and philosophy.
Anastasia Arab, a physiology senior and president of BabyCats, said the organization focuses on uniting and helping campus parents.
"We're a student network of parents supporting each other," Arab said. "We're open to faculty, staff and alumni."
Arab said the BabyCat Sitters, a group of student babysitters who help care for the children of student and faculty parents, were also involved in the event.
According to a poster advertising BabyCats, approximately 23 percent of UA graduate students are parents.
"I didn't realize how many parents there were on this campus until I got involved in this," said Marissa Klein, a pre-nursing sophomore and president of BabyCat Sitters. "We're kind of like a support group for them."
Ingrid Johnson, an assistant professor in the education department at the UA and a mother, said Family Fun Day was beneficial for UA students, staff, faculty and alumni parents, and entertaining for children too.
"There's not a lot of talk on campus about people who have kids. A lot of the things we found out were just kind of word of mouth. Plus it's fun for the kids," Johnson said.
After the event ended, Arab said she thought it was a success.
"We've had a great turnout, there are a bunch of kids, the activities are fun, and it's a beautiful day," Arab said.
Although parents were given an opportunity to network and engage in small talk a parent doesn't always have time for, the children were also in for a good time.
Five-year-old Nathan Rix said he greatly enjoyed the afternoon.
When asked what the best part of the day was, Rix said, "Everything."