As autumn approaches, many students are returning to the UW-Whitewater campus for another school year. Others are moving to UW-Whitewater for the first time, electing to continue their academic careers. These students participate in many high-impact campus traditions that carry a legacy spanning numerous generations of students.

Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration, or SOAR, is the first tradition that freshmen, transfer, and commuter students experience at the start of their journey in becoming Warhawks. SOAR is designed to assist newly admitted students in selecting classes and is their first interaction with their academic advisor.

I had the opportunity to discuss SOAR, among other campus traditions, with campus Peer Mentor Olivia Gross. Gross is a junior communications and political science major and has been a Whitewater student since spring 2024.

She describes her role as peer mentor, saying, “I specifically work with mainly transfer students. But in general, we help first-year students, or students who are coming to UW-Whitewater, get acclimated to campus. So usually, we help them through Warhawk Welcome, where we’re kind of the first couple of students that they get to see on campus.”

As a peer mentor, Gross is responsible for being a guide for new students on campus. Connecting new students with a student already involved on campus helps new students adapt to the community.

Another campus tradition that new students participate in is Warhawk Welcome. This is a high-impact practice designed to help students immerse themselves on the campus and marks the completion of the student’s journey to becoming a Warhawk. This event is required for first-year students and is highly recommended for transfer and commuter students.

“Warhawk Welcome is your first weekend on campus, and that is going to provide a lot of information,” Gross said. “So, how meal plans work, how financial aid works, a lot of the basics of what we think now is the basics and just as common sense, a lot of these new students don’t know. So, it gives them a good baseline understanding of information.”

Warhawk Welcome provides a supportive stepping stone for the transition to college life and being away from home.

Gross shared one tradition that she looks forward to at the beginning of each school year as a peer mentor.

“Personally, I really love painting the road purple,” Gross said. “I think it’s just a really cool tradition that UW-Whitewater does. My first time doing it was last year when I was a peer mentor, and it was just really cool to watch all of the mentees paint the road purple, and you could see each one of them growing into themselves and starting to enjoy the rest of the group.”

These traditions leave a strong impact on the student and provide a legacy in the relationships they create.

The Involvement Fair is an excellent opportunity to find friends and get involved with the community. The event includes nearly 200 clubs and organizations and seeks to connect students with their campus, professors, and peers.

“Another event that happens throughout the school year that I encourage all new students to go to is the involvement fair,” Gross said. “In general, I always encourage students to get involved in at least one club or organization. We find that it helps with retention, grades, and it also helps with the student’s overall well-being.”

The Involvement Fair also helps students sample their degrees and decide whether they would like to continue with their major or make a switch.

“Some other professors will also say that a lot of our more career-based heavy orgs are really good for students to go into because it’s like trying on a winter coat,” Gross said. “You want to try it on to make sure it fits and that you look good in it, you like it, before you buy it, so you want to make sure you like the idea of the career before you spend the thousands of dollars getting that degree.”

Gross recommends that all new students get involved in the campus and its traditions, as they are designed to create lasting connections and potentially lifelong friendships. Students interested in learning more about peer mentorship, or any of the campus traditions mentioned, can reach out to their own peer mentor or contact the Office of First Year Experience at [email protected].

First-year campus traditions are not just about orienting new students to the campus. They are imperative in building a shared community and identity. Whether you are an established student or a new student at Whitewater, there is always a place for you to make an impact in carrying on these traditions. Traditions that curate relationships that will last well beyond this semester and carry on the Warhawk spirit into the future.