UB welcomes new students

The journey begins this week for the newest members of the UB community as incoming students arrive on campus for the start of the new academic year.

Welcome Weekend offers first-year and transfer students the opportunity to meet their classmates — who likely will become lifelong friends — as well as find their way around campus and learn about UB resources and campus services.

New students officially begin life at UB on Thursday when they move into their residence halls, assisted by faculty, staff and student volunteers. Those volunteers also are staffing the information and assistance areas — located at the Capen bus loop and in front of the Student Union on the North Campus, and at the Main bus loop on the South Campus — providing directions and support to help students familiarize themselves with their new home away from home.

The marquee event of Welcome Weekend — the New Student Welcome — will take place from 5-6:15 p.m. Friday in UB Stadium. The event, hosted by A. Scott Weber, vice president for student life, includes welcome remarks from campus leaders — among them President Satish K. Tripathi and Athletic Director Mark Alnutt — and culminates with students — all wearing UB T-shirts — coming together to form the university’s traditional interlocking UB logo.

Other activities during the weekend include PLAYFAIR, a large-scale, interactive icebreaker; “The Hook Up,” an interactive show that explores college, sex and the “hook up” culture; 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.

Students can also attend an on-campus job fair and “How to UB” sessions that help them figure out how to find their place at UB, both socially and academically. In addition, they can take part in the Pride and Service Day community service project and the Unity Project, an interactive art project on the Student Union Field designed to celebrate the uniqueness of each member of the community and raise awareness of how labels impact our perception of and interactions with the world.

There are, of course, opportunities to socialize, which include the First Night Fun carnival and the Welcome Bash featuring a paint party and EDM concert.

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