Baylor's Welcome Week Under Way For New Students
Baylor University's traditional Welcome Week is under way now through Aug. 25 for Baylor freshmen and transfer students. Highlights of the five-day event include seminars to introduce students to Baylor and its traditions, social meetings, a concert featuring Audio Adrenaline and a mass community service project.
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 and to welcome each new student as a significant member of the life and family of Baylor, said Arlington senior Craig Willie, director of the Welcome Week steering committee.
"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 make this school an awesome university," Willie recalled of his own Welcome Week experience.
Among the events scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 22, is a 1 p.m. Baylor Line rally which introduces students to Baylor's participation in Big 12 athletics. The rally will be held in the SUB Bowl outside the Bill Daniel Student Center.
Friday begins 10 a.m. at Waco Hall, where students will learn about Baylor traditions in "One for the Road," followed by a mixer with local church representatives at 1 p.m. at the McLane Student Life Center. The Christian rock group, Audio Adrenaline, will perform at 7 p.m. Friday 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. Call 710-3210 for ticket information.
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 to paint houses, do yard work and clean alleyways. When work ends at noon, students will bus back to campus for a celebration of service and lunch at Fountain Mall. On Saturday evening, students will have dinner in the homes of faculty, before attending 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 will be no scheduled activities until small group sessions at 6:30 p.m. at the Hankamer School of Business. Welcome Week activities will conclude with an 8:30 p.m. candlelight service at the Baylor Marina and a final MinCon session at 9:45 p.m.
Students and their families began moving belongings into one of Baylor's 11 residence halls Wednesday morning. That evening, they attended the first Welcome Week activity, the President's Picnic, in Burleson Quadrangle, followed by a fireworks display at Fountain Mall.
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.