The long, hot summer is coming to an end on The College of Idaho’s campus. In a matter of days, new students from all over the world will pour into the Morrison Quadrangle, ready to take their first steps as the Class of 2021. But before they get to work in the classroom, the first-year students will enjoy the traditional festivities of Welcome Week.
Designed for new students to become better acquainted with college life and prepare for their first semester, Welcome Week is a series of fun events that will give first-year students a taste of what the C of I has to offer in the week leading up to the official beginning of the fall semester. By the end of the week, students will not only be settled into their new dorm rooms, they will have built a set of memories that will stay with them throughout their entire college experience.
The fun will begin on Friday, August 25 — the official start of move-in day for first-year students. From the morning through the afternoon, students will begin to settle into their new homes for the school year, becoming acquainted with new roommates and next-door neighbors as well as their First Year Resident Assistants.
Later that night at 7 p.m., the students as well as their friends and family are invited to the 2017 Convocation, an opening ceremony to officially welcome the new students to campus. The new students will be greeted by alumni in a special tassel tunnel, where they will receive the tassels they will one day wear with their graduation regalia at the 2021 Commencement.
The next day, students will share discussions with a faculty panel and with their first year floormates content from the First Year Book, "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, as a way to discuss challenging ideas in a liberal arts setting. They will also meet with representatives from Campus Safety, Information Technology and Facilities throughout the day before closing the day with a major bonfire in the quad, which is sponsored by student leaders in the Greek Council.
The next day on Sunday, the students will embark on one of the College’s favorite traditions: the McCall Wilderness Experience. Students will take buses up to McCall, Idaho, where they will meet up with staff and faculty for a number of group activities at a camp right next to Payette Lake. From hikes in the nearby forest to volleyball at the lake’s shore, the students will begin friendships that could last a lifetime.
After spending the night in McCall, the students will return to campus on Monday and spend the days leading up to the start of classes on August 30 becoming more familiar with the campus itself and with their academic expectations. The new students will meet their PEAK Advisors at Hendren Hall and get to know the staff that will assist them with a variety of academic needs, including the creation of PEAK Maps to plan out their next four years.They will be able to learn more about PEAK at an exploration fair in the quad, where they can meet other students that share their academic interests and meet faculty from each major PEAK area. They will also learn more about how they can get involved with student organizations at an involvement fair at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 29.
By the time classes begin on August 30, the first-year students will be ready to fully join the rest of the #YoteFam as they pursue their goals, hopes and dreams. What legacy will this class begin? We can’t wait to find out.
The College of Idaho has a 125-year-old legacy of excellence. The C of I is known for its outstanding academic programs, winning athletics tradition and history of producing successful graduates, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three governors, four NFL players and countless business leaders and innovators. Its distinctive PEAK Curriculum challenges students to attain competency in the four knowledge peaks of humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field—empowering them to earn a major and three minors in four years. The College’s close-knit, residential campus is located in Caldwell, where its proximity both to Boise and to the world-class outdoor activities of southwest Idaho’s mountains and rivers offers unique opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. For more information, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.