IU prepares for Welcome Week 2009, starting with freshman move-in day Aug. 26
From the start of new student move-in day at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, Indiana University will strive to make incoming freshmen and returning students feel at home on campus through "Proud Traditions: Welcome Week 2009," coordinated by the IU Office of First Year Experience Programs.
Welcome Week is designed to connect students with the people, places and services of Indiana University and help make the transition to college life a little smoother.
In addition to the many signature Welcome Week events, including Freshman Induction, CultureFest, Traditions and Spirit of IU, and Taste of the Union, students will have three late-night opportunities to mingle with other incoming students: a game night at the Herman B Wells Library featuring video games, board games and food; a Student Recreational Sports Center event with volleyball, dodge ball, board games, snacks and a cannonball competition; and "Midnight Madness," in which students take shuttle busses from campus to a local discount store for school supplies and giveaways from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Throughout the week, students also will have several meetings in their new residence halls, where they'll get to know their resident assistant and the other students with whom they'll be sharing living quarters.
"The whole point is to get students out and about and meeting other people," said Melanie Payne, associate director of IU's First Year Experiences Programs and director of New Student Orientation and Welcome Week. "We have events all across campus: in the culture centers, the library, residence halls, the IU Auditorium. And in the process of getting to these activities, students start to find pathways and shortcuts and things start to look familiar. That familiarity breeds comfort, and suddenly this large campus just doesn't feel so big anymore."
Welcome Week features many events that have become IU traditions, including:
- Freshman Induction ceremonies will take place Wednesday, Aug. 26, in IU Auditorium at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. IU President Michael McRobbie and Bloomington Provost Karen Hanson preside over ceremonies that officially welcome new students into the academic world of IU. Also attending will be the IU Student Association president and the trustees of Indiana University. Each 45-minute Freshman Induction ceremony is followed by an induction picnic.
- CultureFest 2009, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27, celebrates the cultural diversity on campus with speakers, music, food and activities representing various campus culture centers. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the IU Auditorium before moving outside at 5:15 p.m., where it will continue through 7:30 p.m. A CultureFest "After Party" will take place at the IU Art Museum from 7:30-9:30 p.m., followed by a gaming party at the Wells Library.
- Traditions and Spirit of IU takes place on Friday, Aug. 28, at 4:30 p.m. in Assembly Hall, and is open to the public. The event includes everything from teaching incoming students the fight song and cheers of IU athletics, to introducing Hoosier coaches and cheerleaders. Following the event, shuttles will take students to the Indiana Memorial Union for "Taste of the Union."
Other Welcome Week highlights include academic orientation events planned by each of the schools and the College of Arts and Sciences; RecFest, which introduces students to services and club sports available through the Division of Recreational Sports in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation; and residence hall events that include tours of campus and the city, meetings with academic advisors, book buying tips, carnivals, dances, tournaments and scavenger hunts.
RecFest will take place Friday, Aug. 28, from 1-3 p.m. outside HPER Wildermuth (or in the HPER gym in case of rain). Participants can try the Hoosier Heights' climbing wall, test their ability as a human bowling ball or indulge in a free chair massage from Associates of Integrative Health. Free giveaways ranging from Rec Sports ID holders to T-shirts will be distributed, and participants will have the opportunity to meet representatives from many of IU's more than 40 club sports. The event also provides the opportunity for students to connect with Rec Sports staff members and student leaders representing aquatics, strength and conditioning, personal training, intramural sports, group exercise, CycleFit, mind-body, circuit strength, informal sports, and more.
The Student Recreational Sports Center (SRSC) will be open extended hours during Welcome Week in an effort to draw new students to active, healthful evening activities. IU Campus Recreational Sports will stay open from 6 a.m. through 11:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24-Thurs., Aug. 27 and 6 a.m. through 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28.
"More new students are choosing an early move-in option and have free time available to explore and get oriented to the myriad campus facilities and services," said Kimberly Gray, director of marketing for IU Campus Recreational Sports. "We especially wanted to offer an evening option so that resident advisors could use the activities as an icebreaker with their floor residents. With the support of the Office of First Year Experience Programs and Residential Programs and Services, we're promoting the extended hours at the SRSC."
Welcome Week also offers a focus on IU resources and opportunities for involvement and service in the Bloomington community through open houses, New Student Service Day and the IU Student Involvement Fair.
On the first two days of classes, IU administrators, faculty, students and alumni volunteers will be stationed in high-traffic areas of campus to provide new students with campus maps, directions or just a friendly greeting as they make their way across campus.
"I hope what students gain from their Welcome Week experience is an excitement about what they can accomplish, a desire to get involved, an awareness that they're not alone and a familiarity of the University," said Sara Nagy, assistant director of student involvement and orientation for Residential Programs and Services at IU. "It's a great time to explore IU, make friends and try new things."
For more information about Welcome Week, see http://www.indiana.edu/~fye/welcomeweek/index.html.
