Welcome Week introduces new students to WSU

Welcome Week is filled with activities for all students. Each day of the week activities are planned and located throughout campus. This is a time for students to meet organizations, get familiar with campus life, meet new people and have fun. One thing that was new this year was Monday’s Welcome Week Kick-Off. Unlike the past years, this is the first time Wright State celebrates on a semester system!

“This is a new chapter for the school, there is a lot of work that went into making the semester change possible for everyone and this is a way to celebrate all that hard work,” said Ryan Phipps, Graduate advisor of Campus Programs.

For the rest of the week students can look forward to more events. There will be a Grill and Chill with Teachers, featuring members of the African American Teachers Association, located at the Quad from 12 p.m. to 3p.m.

There will be library tours giving students a chance to view the library, a place where they will be spending a lot of their time writing papers, using the computers and researching topics. All attendees get a chance to win a prize. Students can find this event at the library lobby near the circulation desk from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The University Center for International Education (UCIE) will hold an open house for anyone interested in studying aboard. This open house will be held in 190 Student Union from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) will host a welcome reception in the Allyn Hall lobby from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be a Collaborative Open House featuring various departments  where students can get free ice cream. It will be located at the Student Union Atrium from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Honors will host a Welcome Picnic, where students can learn more about being in the Honors Program, located in Millet Hall from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Finally, there will be a Walk-In movie at The Woods basketball court from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. These events will all take place Wednesday, August 29.

Thursday, August 30 will continue Welcome Week with the library tours, in the library lobby starting at 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., and a sure to be student pleaser called Striving in Stilettos held in the Quad from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., followed by Service-Learning Open House and the Yard Show.

“It gives students an opportunity to raise awareness,” Phipps said about Striving in Stilettoes.

It is a community service event for the campus. Males will wear high heels and walk a mile around the quad. Nice dress clothes will be donated at this time. All proceeds will go to the Greene County Domestic Violence Shelter. According to Phipps, for this event there will be three different laps where anyone can join in. Males will be wearing statistics to show the percentage of women who are victims due to domestic violence. Volunteers can sign up for $1 any day before the event. The day of the event the price is $5. Gigi’s cupcakes will cater and raffle prizes. Other food will also be available.

The Service-Learning Open House is where students can meet the program’s staff and student leaders and learn about community engagement opportunities at Wright State. It will be held in 127 Allyn Hall from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. During the yard show students can meet all the sororities and fraternities on campus. It will take place at the Woods basketball court from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

On Friday, it is important for Students not to miss out on Fall Fest, on the North Lawn, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This will be a chance for students to meet student organizations and vendors.

“For freshman, especially, it’s an opportunity to get involved for the next four years. Many new students may feel overwhelmed and lost, this is a chance to feel at home and enjoy Wright State’s good environment,” said Jack Pence, Assistant Director of Student Activities. Pence, is also responsible for getting over 35 volunteers to help out throughout the week. “Fall Fest will include 95 student organizations, three vendors, Dominoes and Gigi's Cupcakes, Five Metro Parks will also be on campus to provide fun ideas and opportunities off campus for students to enjoy such as kayaking. This year Fall Fest will have a Hollywood Theme. Expect UAB members to dress up as characters in Hollywood, walking around and talking to students. There will be red carpet and paparazzi,” said Pence.

Continuing the day there will be an International Ice Cream Social at Forest Lane Community Center from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

These events are made to help students adjust. “Welcome Week is important because it brings the community together, gets different organization's names out there so that students do know what Wright State has to offer and doesn’t just drop students during the first week of school,” said Phipps.

Welcome Week ends Monday, September 3 with Boogie on the Bricks, located at the Quad from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Here students can expect to enjoy the biggest dance of the year, get free pizza and ice cream and enter in raffle drawings.

Even though Welcome Week only lasts for several days, the events and people met are memories students can carry on for the rest of their time at Wright State. For more information or a full list of all the events featured throughout the week visit www.wright.edu/studentactivities/welcome.