I wouldn't go nearly as far as "no role there", but I'm another mom who says that it really won't matter....at D's orientation, there were a couple of q and a sessions for the parents, but they didn't really say any factual information that wasn't already on their website. Most of the rest of the time, it was "filler" time to keep parents occupied. Whether or not your dad is having a difficult time is hard to say, but since it's time away from a family business, I suspect that he'd probably not feel like it was time well spent, sitting in presentations and getting more campus tours.
One thought.....even though the orientation is organized so that you do all your class selection there, it would be extremely helpful for you to go online through the general course requirements at your school (what required classes will you have to take), if you know your intended major, think about what beginning classes you want to take, etc. You probably can look at the actual fall schedule online, too. (At D's school, you can see if there are still openings in the classes, etc.). You can do a lot of the work ahead of time, and still include your Dad in the selection process. I know it made me still feel "needed"...
