Children of university employees gear up for potential futures at MSU

Children and parents alike learned what it means to be a Spartan on Thursday as part of MSU’s Take Your Child to Work Day.

University employees brought their sons, daughters and grandchildren to campus to participate in the event hosted by the Women’s Resource Center. More than 100 children visited to tour the campus and find out what their parents do for a living.

“It went really well,” said Jodi Roberto Hancock, educational program coordinator for the center. “It was offering children a glimpse of the educational and career options at MSU and the children will also understand more about their parents’ work.”

Various department tours were offered throughout the day, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and continuing after lunch at 1:30 p.m. A total of 22 different tour options were available to participants in different locations around campus including the Cyclotron, Breslin Center and Beaumont Tower.

Tonya Blake, a university apartments maintenance worker, said the tours were a great opportunity to see different parts of campus.

“We went to the horticulture buildings, walked through the gardens, went to the Union and we went to human resources,” Blake said. “Beaumont Tower was probably the best thing we’ve done all day.”

For some, the chance to tour MSU with their children was too good to pass up.

“My daughter’s getting up in age,” university apartments maintenance worker Scott Reed said. “Pretty soon she won’t be able to do this type of thing with me.”

After the morning’s initial round of tours, parents and children went to the Union for a recognition ceremony. Sparty was in attendance and congratulated each of the children as they received a commemorative certificate.

With the sun shining in the afternoon, the tours started again and parents and their children walked around campus from activity to activity.

“My granddaughter is somewhat familiar with campus,” library assistant Lillian Damer said. “I thought it’d be fun for her and the weather is so beautiful to see stuff around here.”

Sally Harwood, carillonneur and tour guide at Beaumont Tower, said the day was important to her as well.

“Some of the young ones, they just like climbing up high, they think that’s fun. But some of the older ones can really understand about making music,” she said. “When you’re really interested in something it’s fun to have people that like it and want to see it.”

Hancock said the program is important for children because it encourages learning and provides the parents with an effective way to explain their careers.

“It was beautiful weather and the children got to see best of campus,” she said. “There was a lot of enthusiasm, excitement and learning going on. We were building Spartan spirit.”

Published on Thursday, April 24, 2008