2008 Woodie Awards
Welcome Week
A New Tradition
Brent Grier
Issue date: 9/14/05 Section: News
New and returning students came together for a series of events during their first days on campus.
"Welcome Week" has become a Utica College tradition that serves to give students a pleasant greeting for a few days after they arrive on the UC campus.
Many organizations that help to bring old and new students together are still in the beginning process.
Chanelle Gabriel, Student Senate President and Lecture Chairperson shared her sentiments declaring, "This has become a tradition at Utica. I think it keeps new and returning students active during the first week."
While "Welcome Week" tells you how long the actual events last, the planning of the festivities take a bit longer.
The UC Programming Board starts planning events during the spring semester of the previous year.
Members of the Programming Board are also able to attend out of town conferences for face to face networking opportunities with talented individuals.
"The [National Association for Campus Activities] allows us to scout talent and see who we'd like to bring to the school", said Gabriel.
Students were treated to a concert in the residential quad outside of Alumni Hall as well as a pair of comedians in the Strebel Auditorium. The turnout for all three events was impressive. Not even a power mishap that befell UC's campus could stop the show.
Gabriel was awed with the attendance for the first comedy show saying, "We had a great response even through the blackout." Said Gabriel "Students still showed up and stayed. We held up flashlights so that the comedian could be seen, but it was still good."
It was truly a converging experience for the UC community as Denia Talavera, chair of the Coffee House for the Programming Board conveyed. "Welcome Week is geared toward the first year students but it wouldn't be as successful without the participation of the returning students," Talavera said.
Movie night is also a cornerstone of the week that has always drawn mass crowds. Although weather complications gave an air of uncertainty around this year's movie, the conditions did little to dampen the UC spirit.
Obstacles aside, this years' events have given the Programming Board and the students of Utica College a huge surge going into the fall semester. Such an engrossed student body will certainly be more eager to welcome a new year of UC pride come next fall.