UKnighted - Summer 2013

Week of Welcome

Week of Welcome begins with the general new-student move-in on Thursday, Aug. 22. The residence hall move-in process begins at 8 a.m. that day and continues until 1 p.m. Students will have a few hours in the afternoon to get things unpacked and settled, and then we will start a variety of activities that evening. Even if your son/daughter is commuting from home, there are activities for them attend, as well. 

Thursday evening begins with a residence hall meeting for all the students living on campus. They’ll meet their Resident Assistant (RA) and all the other students that live on their floor. Commuter students have a meeting in the Campus Center, so they have an opportunity to meet each other at that same time. After that, all students will go to a First Year Experience (FYE) meeting. They had very short FYE meetings during summer orientation that are very similar to what their FYE meetings will be like during Week of Welcome.  An FYE group is led by a sophomore, junior or senior FYE Mentor, and each group will have 10-12 incoming first-year students.  Students within a group will become well-acquainted with one other because they’ll continue to meet together weekly through the end of October. 

Friday begins with an opportunity for students to meet their academic adviser.  This is not the same adviser with whom they worked at summer orientation. This person may be their adviser for all four years of their college career, depending on changing majors, etc. Each adviser will meet with all of his/her advisees in a small group that morning. 

On Friday afternoon, we take the entire first-year class into the Green Bay community to perform community service at a number of sites. This event is called “Into the Streets,” and it gets some of the highest marks from students when we ask them to evaluate their fall experiences. Friday night will bring more residence hall and FYE group meetings. 

On Saturday, students will participate in a couple of different activities during the day. They’ll be completing a teambuilding experience with their FYE group that is very similar to a ropes course or confidence course. We’ll also spend time interpreting their StrengthsQuest results with them. (They received an email with a StrengthsQuest code on July 8.  They should complete the StrengthsQuest before arriving on campus.) Our interpretation will include a number of interactive activities that will also help them meet more first-year students. And, there will be another FYE group meeting. 

Much of Sunday, new students will have to themselves. There will be an optional program on Study Abroad opportunities prior to our series of Sunday afternoon/evening activities –the biggest events of the week. First, students can attend Mass of the Holy Spirit to welcome them to campus. Then, they attend Convocation, which marks the official opening of the academic year, when we will hear from President Tom Kunkel and other administrators, faculty, staff and students.  This will be followed by an all-campus picnic that is open to every St. Norbert student, faculty and staff member and their families.  Live music will be played on the gazebo on the Fox River and at dusk, we’ll kick off the school year with a professional fireworks display. 

In addition to the activities described, there will be a number of entertainment activities that take place in the evenings; times during the day to get computer assistance; hours that the Bookstore will be open; and meal hours. Students will receive a detailed schedule when they move in (or at the meeting for commuter students) that will outline all the week’s required and optional events. 

We’re looking forward to the arrival of all the new students!

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