Brooms, mops and trash bags were the weapons of choice as the class of 1997 faced an invasion yesterday.

"Everyone's breaking out the vacuum cleaners," said Terri J. Halperin '97 of Quincy House, a member of the Junior Parents Weekend Committee.

"I've never seen my room this clean before," said Diallo M. Riddle '97 of Pforzheimer House. "I'm usually more organic in my habits."

Despite every effort at concealing evidence of extracurricular activity, the occasional unintended parental discovery still required quick thinking.

"My parents saw an empty bottle of rum. Of course I said it was a decoration someone gave me," Riddle said.

One problem faced by parents yesterday was choosing which courses to visit.

"I tabled at the Science Center this morning, and a lot of parents asked about classes to visit, because their son or daughter didn't have any classes on Fridays," Halperin said. "I guess juniors plan their schedules well."

Parents who went to classes may or may not have gained much knowledge.

According to J. Lewis Ford '97, who is a mathematics concentrator, several parents attended his advanced classes yesterday.

"It was funny to see some of the parents in my math classes who had no idea what was going on. In my number theory class, the professor tried to make it a little more accessible, but there was only so much he could do," Ford said with a chuckle.

Some parents, however, skipped their children's afternoon classes in favor of more practical fare.

A panel of staffers from the Office of Career Services (OCS) gave a 90-minute presentation on "Managing a Changing Marketplace."

William Wright-Swadel, the new OCS director, moderated the panel before an overflowing crowd in Science Center B. Experts on fellowships and on careers in public service, media, the arts, health and business were also on hand to give advice and answer questions from anxious parents.

Yesterday's annual faculty address was delivered by Diana L. Eck, professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies. Eck spoke about the emerging religious pluralism in America and addressed the challenges facing the "new religious landscape" of America.

Each of the houses then hosted receptions for juniors and their families. Most house masters opened up their residences for yesterday's cocktail parties.