Washburn welcomes students

Washburn welcomes students

Many new students now have a good understanding of Washburn University and it’s only the first week of classes.

Sundaes on Sunday and the Big Screen Event of “Iron Man 2” capped off Welcome Week 2010, which provided numerous opportunities for social engagement, trips around the university, and experiences that are intended to relieve stress as classes began this week.

For a student coming in who doesn’t know too many people, Welcome Week can be a great way to open up doors.

“The SOC’s [Summer Orientation Counselors] and student leaders did a lot to help make us mingle, like at the Playfair and Rock the Rec,” said Kristen Onions, freshman. “It was just the fact that they were making sure we were introducing ourselves to each other and meeting new people and changing our groups around.”

Freshman Robert Miller said Welcome Week is a quick way to feel comfortable with the university and know what Washburn is all about.

“When I first got here, it was like I already felt at home and connected with the people here,” said Miller. “I like the school a lot so far.”

For more reserved students, Welcome Week may have seemed a bit overwhelming. While some freshmen were able to use the week to break out of their comfort zone, that could not be said by all.

“I think the biggest problem with the freshmen is a lot of them are shy and scared and most of them from my dorm, they won’t home this weekend,” said Miller. “But I don’t think it has anything to do with the school. I just think a lot of them are scared. It’s a whole new experience, so they’ll get used to it.”

Onions said the orientation counselors knocking on student doors and the effort to inundate all students into activities made it a lot easier for students. She saw people who may have stayed in their rooms otherwise that became more social through all the events.

Onions and Miller thought the university did a good job with the event. There was one main suggestion that Onions made though.

“The only thing I could see is to advertise more what the specific events are so we know,” said Onions. “I mean, with Catch the Bus, we didn’t really know what it was until we got there. But it was explained well when we got there, just not really before that.”

Beyond the initial fun factors of Welcome Week, there were also some valuable resources gained from the experience, which Onions said was one of the best points of the week.

“This [event] helps advertise when the different groups meet and why you might prefer this group over another group or if you prefer hanging out with certain people or working in a different place,” said Onions. “Being introduced to the professors when we’re walking on campus and going to the classrooms, it lets us know that the professors are actually people. They’re not just there to teach us but to also help us connect and be a part of the university”