UB welcomes new students

They’re back!

After catching a glimpse into life at UB during orientation sessions this summer, incoming students will arrive for the real deal tomorrow when they move into their residence halls on the North and South campuses as the opening act of Welcome Weekend.

The four days of informative and fun activities offer incoming first-year and transfer students the opportunity to prepare for the start of classes on Monday, as well as attend social events and meet fellow students.

New this year to Welcome Weekend are the New Student Welcome in UB Stadium; Campus Fest, a student clubs/organizations fair plus festival and street party; and “Academic Connection” talks by UB faculty members designed to help students succeed in their first year.

The new events join other successful components from previous Welcome Weekends, notes Matt Ardila-Weigand, director of orientation, transition and parent programs. These include small group meetings led by orientation leaders and Welcome Weekend leaders; the Welcome Carnival at Baird Point; “The Hookup,” an interactive show that explores college, sex and the hookup culture; and Late Night events.

Welcome Weekend is the second component of NEWtoUB, an initiative aimed at ensuring new students get off to a strong start at UB. The other components of NEWtoUB are Summer Orientation and Year One, which offers programs, resources and guidance to students as they start their career at UB.

With NEWtoUB, “we are looking at the transition experience from a student-centered perspective, focusing on the most important and relevant information at each point in time,” Weigand says.

Welcome Weekend officially begins tomorrow when first-year and transfer students move into their residence halls, assisted by faculty, staff and student volunteers, as well as members of the UB football team, who will be taking a break from early season practice to help.

Well-trained student leaders also will be stationed around campus this weekend and on Monday and Tuesday in well-trafficked areas — Flint Loop, along the academic spine and in front of the Student Union, to name a few — to provide new students with any help or encouragement they may need as classes begin.

UBIT’s Tech Squad will be on hand in the residence halls to help students with any technology issues they may be facing. Students can go online to schedule appointments. Last spring, UBIT’s Tech Squad helped more than 1,000 students.

“I am so appreciative of the many departments and individual faculty, staff and student volunteers from across the university who create such a welcoming experience for our new students,” says A. Scott Weber, vice president for student life. “Helping new students successfully transition to their new academic environment at UB is a key indicator for their success here and beyond.”

 The marquee event of Welcome Weekend — the traditional Interlocking UB photo — will take place on Friday as part of the New Student Welcome, beginning at 3 p.m. in UB Stadium. The event includes welcome remarks from campus leaders — among them Weber and President Satish K. Tripathi — and Playfair, a large-scale, interactive icebreaker. It will culminate with students — all wearing UB T-shirts — coming together to form the university’s logo on the Special Events Field near the Student Union.

Other activities during the weekend include UB Pride and Service Day, during which students spend Saturday morning taking part in community service projects in Buffalo neighborhoods; dog therapy and demonstrations of other stress-relief techniques; kayaking and canoeing on Lake LaSalle; campus walking tours; an on-campus job fair; and “How to UB” sessions. “How to UB” has been revamped this year, with sessions on Saturday focusing on helping students find their place at UB, while Sunday’s sessions focus on academic success.

Late Night UB also will be hosting numerous activities for students throughout the weekend to connect them to campus life. In addition to the carnival on Friday, there will be silent discos and glow parties at the residence halls later that night, a paint part and EDM concert on Saturday night, and an outdoor screening of “Black Panther” and late-night pancake breakfast on Sunday.

The Welcome Weekend schedule can be found on the Welcome Weekend website.