Back in the day, orientation was strictly for students, with the exception of Freshman Parents' Weekend. New freshmen spent their first week and a half going through rush (yup, rush
), choosing their dorms, meeting with their advisors, registering for classes, finding out about various activities on campus, and generally meeting new people. Following this was a special Freshman Parents' Weekend with various activities for parents; some fraternities and sororities held parents' brunches and the like. (Parents of freshmen were also invited to the regular Parents' Weekend, which took place a few weeks later.)
The message was clear. Drop your kid off, or stick your kid on a plane, and leave him/her alone to acclimate - and if you want, come and visit in 10 days' time. Parents couldn't even contact their children except in an emergency, but students could call their parents if they wanted to (this was in the days before everyone had cell phones and email accounts). Even the worst helicopter parents were all but forced to cut the apron strings.