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Opening weekend packed with events
Last year’s new student picnic offered an inviting setting for students and their families. Photo: DOUGLAS LEVERE
The university will welcome both new and returning students with open arms and fun events during Opening Weekend, UB’s tradition of offering students an event-packed few days before the start of the fall semester and the busy academic year that lies ahead.
This year’s festivities kick off Friday, Aug. 26 at 3 p.m. on the Student Union Field, where the annual interlocking UB photo will be taken. The photo requires more than 1,200 students wearing UB T-shirts to fill in the border of a massive outline of the UB logo. The photo is then taken from above by helicopter.
At 3:30 p.m., a meet-and-mingle with President Satish K. Tripathi will be held in the courtyard of Slee and Clemens halls. Tripathi, his wife, Kamlesh, and other members of the campus community will welcome parents and families to a new academic year at UB. Attending students will have the chance to win $100 toward books at the University Bookstore, an iPad, a free registration to Family Weekend or a “Family-Gear” Basket. All participating students will walk away with an exclusive family gift.
The new student picnic will start at 4:30 p.m. at Baird Point. New students and their families will enjoy a free, first-come, first-served chicken barbecue, while mingling with UB faculty, staff and other new students. The picnic will feature a sneak preview of the edge-of-your-seat acrobatic talents of the Aerial Angels, who officially start their fire-eating and trapeze-flying at 6 p.m. The picnic is sponsored by AT&T, Geico and Student Affairs.
“Opening Weekend helps new students get the academic year off to a great start,” says Tracey Eastman, coordinator of communication and marketing for UB Student Affairs. “It helps familiarize them with the campus; gets them moved in comfortably; gives them a chance to meet other students, faculty and staff; and helps them learn about the student-focused services and programs available to them. It also helps them begin to build great college memories.” Faculty and staff are invited to volunteer for Opening Weekend and may choose from among various assignments while they’re available.
Opening Weekend continues Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m outside the Student Union with “UB in the Community,” a daylong series of events and hands-on activities to harness the enthusiasm of new students who will take part in activities aimed at improving Buffalo neighborhoods. After spending the morning volunteering, students can relax with a bus ride at 3 p.m. to Niagara Falls for some sightseeing, the Niagara Falls Outlet Mall for shopping, or Buffalo’s Elmwood Festival of Arts to celebrate Buffalo’s arts communities.
Saturday’s activities wrap up with the Welcome Back Bash at 9:30 p.m. in the Student Union Lobby. There will be free music, dancing, food, prizes and the Bash’s famous foam pit to enjoy.
“The Welcome Back Bash is a great opportunity to meet up with people you may have met at orientation or, if you are an upperclassman, your friends from previous years,” says Daniel Ovadia, a junior business administration major from East Meadow, N.Y. “Everyone is smiling, and it really is a lot of fun. It’s hard to describe how much fun it is to someone, so you just have to go check it out for yourself.”
On Sunday, Aug. 28, the revelry begins at 1 p.m. on Kunz Field, North Campus, as students gather to “Hear the Thunder!” UB’s marching band, “Thunder of the East,” will perform with bands from local high schools, including Lancaster, Medina Central, Mount St. Mary Academy, Pioneer and West Seneca.
At 3 p.m., the “We Are UB” community photo will be taken outside the Health Sciences Library on the South Campus. This photo will include both students and members of the surrounding community. “The goal of the community photo is to unite UB, our students and our University Heights neighbors in a fun and memorable gesture of our cooperation and pride in Buffalo,” explains Eastman. The first 500 people to join the community photo will receive a free UB T-shirt.
Sunday ends with Movie Night at 9:30 p.m. Students can watch this year’s film indoors at the Student Union Theater, or outdoors on the Student Union Field. Free popcorn and soda will be available for this free showing of “Pirates of the Caribbean 4.” See calendar for a complete listing of Opening Weekend events and activities.
Although Opening Weekend officially ends Aug. 28, similar fun and community-building events continue through August and into September. On Monday, Aug. 29, for instance, a 100-foot banana split will be served in the Student Union Lobby from noon to 2 p.m., a sweet treat to mark the start of classes.
That evening, students of the Undergraduate Academies will also enjoy the Dinner for 12 Residents, which brings together 12 new students who don’t know each other for a meal, possibly creating friendships that will last throughout their college careers. “This helps students meet folks on campus that will help them with their academic and personal goals in an informal setting,” says Hadar Borden, administrative director of the Undergraduate Academies. “Our students fondly equate it to a higher-education version of a McDonald’s birthday party. We reserve the space in advance with balloons, and we promote it as an on-campus event with a gift to students.”
Undergraduate Academies students will also get the opportunity to work with Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to community gardening. On Aug. 24, Academies students will volunteer in several existing community gardens in Buffalo, investing in the neighborhoods that surround UB.
Samina Raja, associate professor of urban and regional planning in the School of Architecture and Planning, is on the board of Grassroots Gardens and helped organize the effort. She also produced a video message for participating students.
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