MOON TOWNSHIP — Robert Morris University is hosting its fifth annual Siblings Weekend, an event that encourages students to invite their siblings to stay on campus with them for a weekend. Students can have their siblings visit from February 21 to the 23.

Siblings who plan on attending the event must be registered by an RMU student by February 18. There is also a $25 fee per sibling participating.

The weekend will be filled with events based on this year’s theme, World of Color. The theme was selected by the Residence Hall Association at Robert Morris.

The Office of Residence Life Area Coordinator Lauren McCarthy has helped coordinate the event for three years, once as a graduate student and twice as the sole adviser. She explained the fun theme was chosen because the events they planned coordinate with the colorful theme.

Some of the events include tie-dye, neon glow volleyball, painting classes. Arts and crafts activities tend to be the most popular events during the weekend.

However, there is a bit of a change when it comes to how and where the events will be held on campus.

“We are deconstructing the whole weekend and doing it more like in zones,” McCarthy stated. “John Jay will be a very big part of it, but we are also going to be doing a lot in PNC [cafeteria] as well as in Salem.”

In years prior, one major event would be held in John Jay, but the events will be spread throughout campus for this year’s festivities.

Freshman Statistics and Predictive Analytics major Paige Matey plans on inviting her 16-year-old brother to attend Siblings Weekend. Matey thought it would be a great idea to show him what Robert Morris has to offer, since he will be starting his college career in the near future.

“I wanted to show him what I do all the time while I’m here and where I go,” Matey explained.

She is also very excited to do some of the activities being held on campus as well as getting her brother to meet her college friends. When asked what events she and her brother would most likely attend, she said, “Probably the laser tag, neon volleyball, or going to the basketball games. I think if I had a sister, I would definitely do the painting too but my brother doesn’t like painting as much.”

Participants from past years have really enjoyed Siblings Weekend. Ryan Nolan visited his sister during Siblings Weekend for the past four years and said the event is consistently well-put-together. He and his sister participated in some of the events each year but also spent some quality time with his sibling he did not see too often.

“It’s a good time to just have fun with just you guys,” says Nolan.

One of his favorite memories from visiting was making a last-minute run to Romo’s then playing twister with his sister and her friends all night.

He also would encourage students to invite their siblings, especially if students don’t get to see their siblings while they’re in college. If students are going on vacation for spring break the following week, Siblings Weekend is the perfect time for students to hang out with their siblings.

“I keep trying to ask my friends to bring their siblings too,” said Matey. “I think it’ll be a good time and a chance to bond with my brother.”

Last year, around 100 siblings were registered and attended Siblings Weekend. McCarthy believes the outcome will be similar to last year.

There is still time to register for the upcoming weekend. Registration for the event can be found on the Student Life web page or by clicking here.