Welcome Week To Introduce New Students To Baylor Aug. 21-25

by Judy Long

Baylor University's traditional Welcome Week gets under way Aug. 21-25 for Baylor freshmen and transfer students, highlighted by the early Wednesday morning move-in to residence halls, concerts and meetings, and a mass community service project. Fall classes for all students begin Monday, Aug. 26.
Students and their families will begin moving belongings into one of Baylor's 11 residence halls at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Registration for Welcome Week activities will be held from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the lawns in front of the residence halls, at a kiosk near the bear pit or at the information table on the first floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center.
"The Welcome Week Steering Committee has been putting together an amazing program of events to make this a great time," said Arlington senior Craig Willie, director of the Welcome Week steering committee.
The annual Welcome Week event began at Baylor in 1974 and emphasizes the intellectual, social, physical and spiritual aspects of college life. The week's mission is to introduce the educational ideal of balanced development of the whole person in a Christian atmosphere, to acquaint students with Baylor and its traditions, and to welcome each new student as a significant member of the life and family of Baylor.
"Because of Welcome Week, I had a better understanding of what college life was really like, where everything was on campus, and the Baylor-specific qualities that makes this school an awesome university," Willie said of his own Welcome Week experience.
Students will gather together for the first time at the President's Picnic at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Burleson Quadrangle, followed by a MinCon roundup at 7:30 p.m. MinCon, a small seminar group of incoming students guided by two Welcome Week staff members, will help students become familiar with Baylor and with fellow freshmen. A fireworks display will wrap up the day at 9 p.m. at Fountain Mall.
At 10 a.m. Thursday at the Ferrell Center, new Baylor freshmen and transfer students will meet for an introductory meeting and small group sessions. Other events include lunch at noon at Speight Plaza, a 1 p.m. Baylor Line rally in the SUB Bowl outside the student center that introduces freshmen to Baylor's participation in Big 12 athletics, and a dance featuring karaoke and a movie at 9 p.m. at the SUB Bowl.
Friday begins 10 a.m. at Waco Hall, where students will learn about Baylor traditions in "One for the Road," followed by a church mixer at 1 p.m. at the McLane Student Life Center that will allow students to meet representatives of local churches. A social involvement fair will begin at 4 p.m. at the SLC. That evening, the Christian rock group, Audio Adrenaline, will perform at 7 p.m. in the Ferrell Center. Tickets for the concert, which is open to the public, are $10 in advance at the Baylor ticket office or $15 at the door.
Saturday begins at 9 a.m. with "First Step," an opportunity for freshmen to participate in a Baylor-sponsored community service project. "First Step" is designed to introduce new students to the Steppin' Out program, a campus-wide service day that takes place once each semester enabling students to reach out to the local community. Students will meet at the Ferrell Center Saturday morning where they will be bused to various work sites near University Baptist Church at 17th and Dutton in Waco. After a morning of painting houses, doing yard work and cleaning alleyways, students will bus back to campus for a 1 p.m. celebration of service and lunch at Fountain Mall. At 4:30 p.m., students can tour the campus, buy books at the Baylor Bookstore and enjoy another Baylor tradition, Dr Pepper Hour, in Barfield Drawing Room. At
5:30 p.m., students will gather at Hankamer School of Business for an academic seminar, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. in the homes of faculty and a 9 p.m. dance in the Ferrell Center.
On Sunday, shuttles will be available to take students to local churches of their own choosing. There are no scheduled activities until a 6:30 p.m. spiritual seminar at Hankamer. Welcome Week activities will conclude with a worship service at 7:30 p.m. at the Ferrell Center, an 8:30 p.m. candlelight service at the Baylor Marina and a final MinCon session at 9:45 p.m.
For more information, call the Welcome Week office at 710-3638 or visit their web site at www.baylor.edu/welcome_week. For more information about the "First Step" community service project, contact Jessica Truglio, community service coordinator, at 710-2371.