Dances and free food highlight annual Week of Welcome
Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?
Free lunches are a major part of Utah State University’s annual Week of Welcome. The Associated Students of USU started the festivities with the Luau Dance on Saturday night. ASUSU is sponsoring events, such as free lunches, all week long. WOW closes with the Friday Fest, a dance party, on Friday night.
Details on the upcoming events are posted all over campus. Monday from noon to 1:30 p.m. there will be free Aggie Ice Cream on the Taggart Student Center Patio. The free food is one of the most anticipated activities by students during WOW.
Some students had not heard much about WOW, but became excited at the prospect of a free meal.
“If there’s free food, I’m there,” said freshman Dustin Ranglack, a wildlife sciences major. “I’m just a starving college student.”
Besides the free ice cream, walking tacos will be offered Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. on the TSC Patio.
Also on Tuesday, a free outdoor movie will be shown on the HPER field. “The Italian Job” starts at 9 p.m.
“I’m really excited to see The Italian Job,” said Ryan McBride, a senior majoring in fine arts.
Rachel Weston, a freshman majoring in elementary education, said she was looking forward to the movie as much as any activity during the week.
The activities are plentiful during the week. Monday alone has Meet Your College, USU Welcomes You (with University President Kermit L. Hall), and Moonlight & Music, a dance at the Old Main Hill Amphitheater.
Tuesday, there will be a Special Olympics basketball game. At the TSC Plaza at noon, the USU men’s and women’s basketball teams will take on the Special Olympics team.
Thursday is Diversity Day on the TSC Patio from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Multicultural and international clubs are scheduled to provide live entertainment.
Tara Bradshaw, activities vice president of ASUSU, has been working hard to plan most of the activities. She said WOW has activities for all students.
Bradshaw said some WOW activities, such as Meet Your College and USU Welcomes You, are aimed toward new students, but “WOW is for everyone.”
Both Meet Your College and USU Welcomes You take place Monday at 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Freshmen and transfer students are encouraged to learn more about their colleges and majors, and meet other students with similar interests.
So far, the only major change in the program is the cancellation of the tailgate party Thursday night before the USU vs. Utah football game, that takes place in Salt Lake City. The pre-game bash was nixed because the game was scratched from ESPN’s TV lineup.
Bradshaw said different members of ASUSU are in charge of different aspects of WOW. For example Cameron Woolf, the service vice president, planned the Special Olympics basketball game and the Blood Battle. The Blood Battle is an annual week-long contest between USU and the University of Utah to see which university can donate the most blood.
Ashley Stolworthy, the public relations vice president, spearheaded all advertising for the week. But Bradshaw said although she will be glad when it is all over, she still looks forward to the activities and hopes they will be positive experiences for the students.
“We just want to get people involved, let them know what’s out there,” Bradshaw said. “[It helps] bring them back to school.”
Although the week’s festivities are planned mainly by the ASUSU, the fraternities and sororities provide help for many of the activities, said Chi Omega President Jenny Grant. The opening event of WOW, the Luau Dance, was sponsored by the USU fraternities and sororities, Grant said.
“When students come to college, they feel they have to start all over. [WOW] is a good way for them to get to know each other,” Chi Omega adviser Patty Halaufia said.
WOW is a great way to get all the freshmen to get to know each other, Halaufia said. Adjusting to college life can be hard because students just spent four years in high school and finally started to feel comfortable with themselves, she said.
“Then you’re out of your comfort zone and thrown in with 20,000 people you don’t know,” Halaufia said. “It’s fun to make people feel welcome on campus.”
“I like the atmosphere of WOW week,” Grant said. “Everyone has an energy.”
Making people feel welcome on campus is everyone’s responsibility, but the Week of Welcome certainly helps. WOW is a surprisingly recent tradition – about five or six years old, said Halaufia.
“We’re just excited to meet people,” she said.
For more information about WOW, visit a-station.usu.edu or call the ASUSU office at 797-2912.