The Rocket

Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Steve Reed During common hour on Thursday, students gather in the quad to catch up with each other and discuss their summer adventures. [Click to enlarge]

It is not debatable that the most stressful moment for any new college student is leaving their homes, their friends and their families and arriving at a new school where they have to meet new people and begin a new journey in their lives.

However, despite more than 1,500 students moving into campus over the weekend, a lot of the incoming freshmen not only felt relieved at how well the transition went, but a lot enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and feel like a kid again for just one more weekend before college classes began on Monday.

While it may have been difficult to commute around campus last Friday, it was quite a scene to see the largest incoming freshman class in 10 years move their belongings into their dorms and set up their new homes for the next eight months.

And while a lot of colleges usually leave it up to students to meet new friends, SRU's "Week of Welcome: Oceans of Opportunity" program not only helped students unload their belongings, but also helped freshmen get to know other freshmen from all over campus through various games, events and activities.

Week of Welcome: Oceans of Opportunity, which was organized by the Office of Student Life, was staffed by SRU faculty and student volunteers who helped with various programs throughout the weekend.

After the students moved in on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., activities began in the evening and consisted of things such as a boardwalk event, where students had the opportunity to play games, eat food and meet other freshmen.

There was also a visit from Jud Laipply, a comedian and motivational speaker who is known for his "Evolution of Dance" video, one of the most-viewed videos on YouTube.

However, the weekend was far from over. Come Saturday night, many students attended a block party that took place inside Morrow Field House which consisted of various games, including a toilet-seat racing contest, bungee jumping, T-shirt airbrushing and of course, snow cones and other food.

Continued...

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