As the start of a new semester and year are in full swing, the events of this year’s Welcome Week have united the university community, students and faculty alike. The Center for Student Engagement, Leadership and Orientation (CSELO) hosted the Welcome Week events that began at the start of classes and ran throughout the first week.

Activities and events during Welcome Week included Greek life open houses, flag football tournament, Twisted Thursday, Charger Pride barbeque, headphone disco and many more.

The events of the week kicked off Monday morning with a t-shirt giveaway at the Bartels Student Activity Center (BSAC) and Charlie’s Snack Shack at the Sheffield Hall Gazebo. On Tuesday, SCOPE hosted their TOTE-ally SCOPE event for undergraduate students in the BSAC. Wednesday started off with a Greek Life Open House located in the Bixler / Gerber quad before the Graduate Student Involvement Fair took place in the Alumni Lounge. The festivities continued on Sept. 1 with a flag football tournament hosted by Charger REC at the Zolad Stadium on Thursday morning. Events continued to take place Friday through Sunday with a trip to Lake Compounce and WestFest 2022, ending with an outdoor movie night at the Bixler / Gerber quad on Monday evening.

Jordyn Hackett-Slimm, a senior criminal justice major and orientation coordinator for CSELO, encourages new students to get involved by using the Corq app to gain access to daily events happening around campus. “All of the daily events on campus are posted to Corq where it lists dates, times, and locations. Once a new student is logged into Corq they can also use their event pass to scan into events!” Hackett-Slimm also encourages students to check Charger Connection for upcoming events on campus this semester.

“My favorite aspect of being a leader is making new connections and helping new students find their way,” says Hackett-Slimm. She recalls feeling overwhelmed as a new student in her first year. “I enjoy being able to help others find their place here whether it’s as a member of an RSO [Recognized Student Organizations], or figuring out how to get an on campus job, or even just finding their favorite place to study.”

Hackett-Slimm says that she believes Welcome Week can contribute to “creating a positive campus climate” as a way for students to make connections and that “Welcome Week is for all students and promotes togetherness through the different activities that occur. Taking the time to show up to even one event could be a great opportunity to meet someone new.”