The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time for new students, and nobody feels this excitement more than students who are enrolled at a new college or university for the first time. While there is an endless list of tasks to complete before school, lots of fun awaits.
Luckily for incoming students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, an event seeks to welcome them home with open arms. This event is Warhawk Welcome, available for new freshmen, transfer students, and commuter students.
This year’s Warhawk Welcome was held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. During this three-day span, which occurred over Labor Day weekend, there are multiple programs and events that new students will participate in. All these events aim to familiarize students with the campus and its offerings.
According to Director of First Year Experience Jenny Krzyszkowski several new activities took place at Warhawk Welcome. One of the latest events, called Fun at the Young, involves a program led by mentalist Mark Toland. Throughout the weekend, more speakers made their UWW campus debuts.
Alongside fresh faces engaging with students on campus, Krzyszkowski mentions that longstanding campus traditions continue at Warhawk Welcome. These events include Paint It Purple, where students paint Warhawk Drive purple, and RU Purple, which involves students running into the stadium and partaking in a pep rally.
Krzyszkowski stated that Warhawk Welcome can be beneficial to students.
“I think the goal of Warhawk Welcome is to create that [sense of] belonging here on campus,” Krzyszkowski said. “Hopefully, they’re walking away with some type of memorable experience.”
Krzyszkowski reported that around 2,200 new students will attend Warhawk Welcome. Approximately 1,900 students are freshmen, leaving between 350 and 400 transfer students.
Travis Erath is a second-year peer mentor at this year’s Warhawk Welcome. Erath explains that a peer mentor introduces students to the campus’s resources and assists them in their college transition.
Erath believes that having a peer mentor is essential for new students.
“I’d definitely say the biggest benefit is having that experience of someone who’s already been through it,” Erath said. “It’s a peer mentor, so it’s someone that was in your shoes or is almost similarly in your shoes walking through campus with you.”
Warhawk Welcome is required for new freshmen and strongly recommended for transfer and commuter students. Krzyszkowski encourages students in the latter groups to participate in the weekend.
“The earlier you make those connections, the stronger you’re going to feel supported, feel that sense of belonging, and be more willing to put yourself out there,” Krzyszkowski said. “We want to make sure that they feel like they have somebody in their corner.”
The First Year Experience office has received much student feedback regarding Warhawk Welcome. Krzyszkowski explained that this feedback was a huge part of spacing out events so students could take breaks and decompress.
Freshman Sammy Bellisle will be participating in Warhawk Welcome this year and expressed a variety of emotions regarding the event and starting college in general.
“I am feeling good, very excited to be on campus but also nervous about leaving my family and being on my own,” Bellisle said. “I am excited to meet new people during welcome week and paint the road purple.”
Warhawk Welcome was an exciting event for new students and the entire campus community. Erath always looks forward to Warhawk Welcome and meeting a new group of students.
“I think every year I’m privileged to get a good group and really see them grow over the semester,” Erath said. “It’s really cool to see them grow from the first day, them being shy [and] not really knowing what opportunities are on campus and seeing them get really involved.”
This year’s Warhawk Welcome ends with RU Purple, and classes will begin the following day, Sept. 3. With lots of exciting activities planned for the weekend, it is no secret that Warhawk Welcome is a thrilling weekend for all involved.
