On Monday, Sept. 4th, at eight in the evening, students lined the newly painted purple road (Warhawk Drive), in preparation for RU Purple. Hosted by FYE, First Year Experience, this event is for the new students, freshmen and transfer students; led by this year’s student mentors, and is hosted at the Perkins. This event concluded the First Year Experience for all incoming freshman and transfer students and is the kick off to the first day of school, which was Tuesday, Sept. 5th, and was the conclusion of the Warhawk Welcome. The Warhawk Welcome was from Saturday to Monday, including the check in, mentor time, outdoor movie, hawfest, and painting the road purple.
This event was hosted by the New Year Experience, NYE, and was made to welcome new students, transfer students and campus exchange students. These students were separated into 25-30 students after check in, and were led by a peer mentor, who is older than a first year. These peer mentors led these students through a full day of events to welcome them to campus, starting with sundays activity, with mentor time, Dear World, and Hawkfest; ending the day with an outdoor movie, they showed Finding Dory. Then, on Monday, starting with “Creating a Culture of Consent” and then painted the road. Then ended the night with the RU Purple, which had a total of 1,925 students in attendance.
The academic program director Jenny Kryzskowki, was interviewed on her thoughts and ins and outs of the RU Purple event.
“The best part is the energy, seeing students feel welcome and seeing their first step into finding the connection in campus,” said Kryzskowki.
These events were open to all students, and the first year students were told to do the warhawk run, onto the football field. The older students, the athletes, and the peer mentors made a tunnel for the students to run through to go to the bleachers. In the bleachers, the new students made the “UWW” logo, while wearing their purple shirts.
“It was a good way to see the amount of students that attend the college and are all going through the same thing that I am,” said Isaac Hulbert, a freshman on the topic of why he enjoyed the event as a whole. He described that the energy in there was excitement and a willingness to go to the first day of school the next day.
Along with the first year students, the other students were the peer mentors, these students were interviewed and were meant to give first year students an easier transition into meeting and forming connections.
“My favorite part is that this event brings the students, freshmen and others together and shows them what we do here at Whitewater. There are the athletes and cheer squad and so many other fun things at campus,” said Jenna Wilkison on her experience working as a peer mentor for first year students.
Their goal is to make an impact on at least one person, and form connections for the group as they go to their New Student Seminar classes.
The RU Purple is an annual event for the First Year Experience students, and will occur for first years as a way of welcoming the new warhawks. For more information on the Warhawk Welcome or FYE, visit UC 245, or visit their website: https://www.uww.edu/fye.