The transition from high school to college can be a nerve-racking one. In attempt to help incoming freshmen assimilate to college life, there is Welcome Week, an eventful orientation the days preceding the first day of classes. Stockton’s Welcome Week began on August 28th, the official Move-In Day for incoming freshmen, and continued until September 1st. The first mandatory event to kick off Welcome Week was a Residential Life Floor Meeting, where everyone met in the common room of their respective floor to meet other residents and their Resident Assistant. During Welcome Week, students had to attend all mandatory events. Although attendance at other events was not required, students could win a free Stockton stadium blanket by attending all passport events as well.
Most of the mandatory events were mandatory for important reasons. Maximize Your Buzz was in regards to alcohol consumption in college; Let’s Talk About Sex discussed consent and being cautious about sex; and True Life 101 discussed campus safety and policies in both an entertaining and educational manner. Something that was stressed during Welcome Week was the importance of socialization. For instance, the Troy Stende Keynote Social was solely for the purpose of getting to know people. RHA Building Community Battles was another event that allowed for the bonding of residents, as well as the Greek Council Dance Party. Other events, although seemingly fun on the surface, held deeper messages – developing team building skills. For instance, ThinkFast trivia night or the SET Amazing Race Treasure Hunt. Although most activities were entertaining, a select few were taken to heart. The Warrior Champions Movie recounted the stories of American heroes gravely injured during war; Sam Offer was about being cognizant and accepting of differences in our increasingly diverse and complex world; even the comedian’s stories had lessons. On the whole, each event was helpful in assimilating to college life by teaching about how to deal with certain situations.