By Kyle Winslow
After a summer full of farewells and high school graduation parties, the transition to college life can be a challenge for incoming freshman.? Over the weekend, the University held Cardinal Welcome Weekend 2006. The event, hosted for all students both new and returning, took place from Thursday through Sunday.? Michael Anthony, the coordinator for student leadership programs at the University of Louisville, also served as co-chair for Welcome Weekend. Anthony played a major role in the weekends activities and recruitment. “Welcome Weekend is the official welcome back activity for new and returning students. Many think of it as Orientation: Part Two,” Anthony said. “It is the students’ chance to take a little more time before classes begin and settle into their residence hall if they live on campus, get reintroduced to campus, take care of last minute business that they didn’t have time for during orientation over the summer, and to make new friends.”? Getting out and meeting people is very helpful in making the new students feel at home. It can be very hard for new students to be comfortable the first few weeks of school while overcoming any feelings of homesickness. University of Louisville President, Dr. James Ramsey, expressed the importance of Welcome Weekend in terms of student retention and what students miss when they don’t attend, “Very candidly, they miss out on opportunities to begin the socialization process at UofL, and they miss out on the opportunity to become engaged in campus activities.” Second year student Josh Masters recalls last year’s Welcome Weekend as a “huge boost into the next chapter of my life.” The weekend’s events start early every morning and don’t end until later each night so the participants have a very busy schedule. Masters was from Ashland and did not know many people before Welcome Weekend. “Welcome Weekend gave me the opportunity to meet so many new people and make so many friends. Even though we hung out all day and night, we had so much fun that we didn’t want it to stop. After the first night of Welcome Weekend, about thirty of us went to Steak and Shake. We had a great time and I kept a friendship with each of them throughout the remainder of the year.”? Last year, many of the commuter students didn’t attend the weekend’s events. “I didn’t attend Welcome Weekend because I was under the impression that it was more for students living on campus rather than those commuting,” says Chelsey Owens, a second year student who commutes every day from Henry County. This is a common belief amongst students, but Michael Anthony says that, “Welcome Weekend is not only for on-campus students. In face we try to reach out to our commuter population and make it appealing to them as well.”? The events this past weekend ranged from a haunted stroll through Churchill Downs, a night on the town, a pep rally, a laser show, dessert and coffee with the president, and many others. A night on the town took many students via TARC downtown to Fourth Street Live. This event has been heavily advertised, more so than last year, and was a tremendous success. Associate Provost, Dr. Dale Billingsley, who participated in the activities, estimated that nearly 700 students attended the event this year. This is a lot compared to last year’s 400. Students who made the trek downtown engaged in free bowling, enjoyed music from multiple bands, and also received discounts from the area’s restaurants. The university has placed a huge emphasis on the importance of introducing the freshmen and welcoming back the returning students this year. There has been great advertising and support for the events and the result is a higher attendance to the socials than last year. Freshman Zach Seiler from Erlanger was thankful for the events and really enjoyed them. “This weekend has been awesome; I have met so many cool people through all of the events on campus. I am a lot more excited to be here,” Seiler said. This is exactly what the university wants to achieve through Welcome Weekend- excitement and student retention. “Kentucky is a low-income state, we have an under-educated population, and basically have too few college graduates.
