As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”: “It's a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what's changed is you.”

For UD alumni, returning to campus is a little like coming home. Walking through Haggar, a wave of familiarity washes over you: this is particularly true when it comes to the olfactory sense, which will automatically associate the scents wafting off the Cap Bar and drifting up the stairs from the Rat with any number of memories — late nights studying, countless meals, TGITs relived. Even with renovations, Haggar looks much the same as it did 20 or 30 years ago. Though perhaps, looking out the windows, you’ll catch a glimpse of Cardinal Farrell Hall quickly taking shape, UD in its essence has not changed.

You probably have, though. While being on campus might transport you back in time, think of all you’ve experienced in those years since: jobs, marriages, births of children, relocations to different parts of the country and world. How exciting to be able to share all of these stories and adventures with your erstwhile classmates and professors — not to mention introduce this one-time home of yours to your children.

Alumni and Family Weekend (AFW) is the perfect time to do this — to reminisce over old memories and create new ones — and if your graduation year ends in a 2 or a 7, to reunite with your classmates. This year, AFW is fast approaching: we’ll officially kick off the festivities with TGIT on the night of Oct. 12.  

We’ll have the usual activities and entertainments over the weekend, from bounce houses and open classes on Friday afternoon to stargazing and a live band Friday night, from Archives tours and campus tours to the student-versus-alumni rugby game on Saturday, among others — but we’ll have some new attractions as well. On Friday night, after a casual Italian dinner on the Mall (before which, from 4-5 p.m., you can sample some 2015 vintage Due Santi Rosso from our own Rome campus vineyard, if you’re so inclined), each class with a graduation year ending in 2 or 7 will have a tent on the Mall for Reunion Row. Cash bar, top-40 hits from the year you got your degree, and of course (because it’s UD) good conversation — what could be better?

Individual class reunions will mostly take place on Saturday at locations off campus; if you haven’t heard anything about yours and would like to host and/or help plan, please contact Associate Director of Alumni Relations Larisa Thelen, BA ’13, at 972-721-5012.

Also, on Saturday, we’re calling all UD makers to display their wares at the Market on the Mall. We’re also calling all consumers to purchase these products and support our creative community. There will be food trucks, as well, parked on the Mall from noon to 4 p.m., so you can get your fill of burgers and snowcones!

A full schedule of events can be found here.

Register for the weekend here. Online registration will close on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

It’s a funny thing coming home. But in a good way.