OHIO enters 鈥楻eady鈥 phase of welcoming new students, launches Welcome Week website
The end of one academic year finds members of the 帝王会所 community looking ahead to the next and to welcoming the newest members of the Bobcat family to their new home away from home.
As the Office for Undergraduate Orientation Programs prepares for OHIO鈥檚 annual Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO), scheduled for June 4-30 on the Athens Campus, the University鈥檚 Welcome Week Committee is moving full steam ahead with 鈥淩eady. Set. OHIO!鈥
A new initiative encompassing the many stages of transitioning from an admitted student to officially becoming a Bobcat, 鈥淩eady. Set. OHIO!鈥 is an expanded and three-phased approach to welcoming and preparing new students for their OHIO experience and life on the Athens Campus. The phases are:
- The 鈥淩eady鈥 phase, which includes BSO, as well as the first-year roommate and room selection process
- The 鈥淪et鈥 phase, which encompasses the myriad tasks that new Bobcats must complete before starting their academic journey at OHIO, many of which are outlined in the 鈥淏efore You Arrive鈥 section of the University鈥檚 Arrival Guide
- The 鈥淥HIO鈥 phase, which consists of the newly expanded Bobcat Welcome Week that kicks off the first day of fall move-in on Thursday, Aug. 23, and runs through OHIO鈥檚 first home football game on Saturday, Sept. 1
鈥淲e have a dedicated group of faculty and staff from throughout the Athens Campus who have been developing our 鈥楻eady. Set. OHIO!鈥 initiative and accompanying Bobcat Welcome Week,鈥 said Judy Piercy, interim assistant dean of students and co-chair of the Welcome Week committee. 鈥淲e hope to engage the entire 帝王会所 community, as well as our Athens neighbors, in welcoming our new students and celebrating this significant milestone in their lives 鈥 all while acclimating them to our community and fostering a sense of belonging, connectedness and engagement early in their academic journey.鈥
With the 鈥淩eady鈥 phase in motion, the Welcome Week Committee is launching a new Bobcat Welcome Week website. The site is still under development, but will include:
- A link to OHIO鈥檚 Arrival Guide, designed to answer some of the most commonly asked questions Bobcats and their loved ones have as they navigate their transition to 帝王会所 and Athens
- A link to the Fall Move-In Schedule, which this year is being conducted by residence hall floors rather than by a student鈥檚 last name like previous years and by teams of students, operating under a new name 鈥 the Bobcat Move-In Crew
- A link to the Bobcat Welcome Week schedule of activities, with a key that will denote mandatory events for first-year students
- Links to helpful resources for new students, faculty and staff, including campus and parking maps
- Links to helpful resources for current OHIO faculty and staff, including a library of University Communications and Marketing-designed 鈥淩eady. Set. OHIO!鈥 graphics that can be used when promoting programs and events for OHIO鈥檚 new students via banners, posters, fliers and on digital displays throughout the Athens Campus
鈥淚n developing the Welcome Week website, we aimed to create a one-stop shop for all things related to the start of fall semester,鈥 said Cimmeron O鈥機onnor, director of Undergraduate Orientation Programs and co-chair of the Welcome Week Committee, who credited staff at University College and the Office of Information Technology with designing the site. 鈥淲hether you are a current member of the OHIO community, one of our new arrivals or someone supporting our new arrivals, we want you to be involved in the special moments and events that kick off our academic year and have all the resources you need to do just that.鈥