Students all over campus have been urged to "Follow the Maize and Blue Road" and that there's "No place like the University of Michigan."
No, Toto, this isn't Oz - the Student Alumni Council designed the slogans to encourage students to participate in this year's Parents Weekend.
"We wanted something upbeat and peppy," said co-chair Anne Meyerson. "It's saying come to the University of Michigan, it's a great place, there is a lot here for you."
Traditionally, students look forward to Parents Weekend as an opportunity to spend time with their parents and eat out at Ann Arbor restaurants for a change.
"It's good because my parents take me out and I get to eat good meals," said LSA first-year student Josh Pashman. "It's nice to see them, but I don't miss them that much."
Meyerson said 1,400 to 1,500 families are expected to turn out - slightly less than last year's 1,700 families.
The lower expected turnout stems from two primary reasons: Parents Weekend comes just three weeks into school, and it coincides with the start of the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, she said.
Engineering first-year student Jason Gruehl has just begun to settle down and is not quite ready for the parental invasion.
"I am not that psyched. I get to wake up with a hangover and confront my parents," he said.
The Student Alumni Council has assembled an impressive line-up of events including a pep rally, tailgate, and a Saturday evening concert featuring comedian Steven Wright.
In the past, the weekend has featured faculty lectures, but this year, the Student Alumni Council is running tours for families and students. At approximately 4 p.m. today, families will have the opportunity to hear a lecture from renowned English Prof. Ralph Williams.
The festivities continue this afternoon with faculty demonstrations at the planetarium and the hydraulics lab in West Hall. The pep rally, which will be held at 5 o'clock tonight at the Michigan Union, features head football coach Lloyd Carr and the captains of the football team along with the Michigan Marching Band.
The vendors on Main Street, South University Avenue and State Street will stay open until midnight on Friday to provide an extended opportunity for the parents to shop.
"It's a nice way for parents to see the city of Ann Arbor from South University to Main Street, particularly because the weather should be nice in September," Meyerson said.
The activities will pick up with the tailgate party at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Track and Tennis Building. The keynote speaker will be Olympic silver medalist and former University swimmer Eric Namesnik.
Namesnik is a two-time silver medalist in the Olympic 400-meter individual medley. Currently, he is working on his masters degree in higher education administration at Eastern Michigan University and serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the men's swimming team at the University of Michigan.
"It's a good way for me to give back to the University in a small way," Namesnik said. "I will be speaking about my experiences at Michigan and I am honored that they chose me."
At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, approximately 3,600 parents will join the crowd at Michigan Stadium to watch a football game between the Wolverines and Boston College.
Comedian Steven Wright will wrap up the weekend Saturday night with a concert at Hill Auditorium.
Wright, known as the "man with the monotone," will display his deadpan delivery that earned him a Grammy nomination. Students can still buy tickets through Ticketmaster at the Michigan Union Ticket Office. Tickets cost $16.
"Last year was the first Saturday evening," Meyerson said. "We tried to target someone who will please both parents and students. Humor spans all age groups."
Many of this year's events are sold out, including the golf tournament at Stonebridge Golf Course, the football game against Boston College and a Sunday brunch at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on State Street.