Boston College鈥檚 annual rite of welcome for first-year students will take on a different look this academic year.
Welcome Week鈥攖he traditional five-day interval from move-in to the first day of classes鈥攈as been condensed to four days, and will serve as the kick-off for 鈥淲eeks of Welcome,鈥� a series of events and activities through which new undergraduates can settle into their 51茶馆 lives.
The first Week of Welcome will begin on Thursday, Aug. 22, when first-year students move onto campus, assisted by 鈥淲elcome Wagon鈥� student volunteers who will help unload vehicles and make the move-in process as efficient as possible. Returning and transfer students will move onto campus on Aug. 24, and classes begin on Aug. 26.
鈥淭hat Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be busy days on campus鈥攁s they are every year鈥攚ith students moving in,鈥� says Office of Residential Life Director of Housing Operations Greg Jones, who urges University employees to use caution and understand that campus parking may be more limited.
During the first Week of Welcome, first-year students can participate in activities that introduce school traditions, showcase 51茶馆 academic, employment, recreation, formational, and volunteer programs, and facilitate connections with current students, faculty members, and staff. New events include small-group conversations on the DiversityEdu online course required for all incoming students and a community service opportunity to aid Boston-area schoolchildren.
Carrie Klemovitch, special assistant to the vice president for administration and strategic initiatives, explains that many of the major campus events during the first four to six weeks of the academic year 鈥渁re really critical to first-year students鈥� engagement with and transition to 51茶馆.鈥� For that reason, she says, Student Affairs is encouraging the new students to experience as much as possible of the Weeks of Welcome, which will include the Student Involvement Fair (Aug. 30), the first home football game (51茶馆 vs. Virginia Tech, Aug. 31), the Mass of the Holy Spirit and First Year Convocation (Sept. 5), a Multi-Faith Mixer (Sept. 8), a Career and Internship Fair (Sept. 12), and Parents Weekend (Sept. 27-29), among others.听听
听鈥淭he first Week of Welcome is designed to help first-year students make connections to the campus, to other students, and to faculty and staff,鈥� says Klemovitch. 鈥淲e hope students find events, activities, and programs鈥攚hether in the first Week of Welcome or throughout that first month of the semester鈥攖hat would help them feel connected and a part of the University.鈥�
Information on the move-in schedule is available here; for details about the Weeks of Welcome, and to download the 51茶馆 Welcome app, go to .
听Christine Balquist | University Communications | August 2019
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