A week of welcoming: Lamar kicks off semester with week of activities
Published 2:59 am Wednesday, August 29, 2018
- Bailey Broussard, a senior education major from Lumberton, and Samantha Guerra, a senior education major from Beaumont, greet “Munchies” the Llama at a petting zoo by Wild Things Zoofari during Lamar University’s Week of Welcome. (Brian Sattler/Special to The News)
Animals, Greek letters and Cardinal students abound during the first week of school at Lamar.
Lamar University is halfway through its annual Week of Welcome, a time where new students are offered a slew of activities to better acclimate them to collegiate life.
“We plan social and academic events that help students identify ways to get involved on campus and with student organizations,” Julie Eddards, director of New Student and Leadership Programs, said.
Eddards highlighted the importance the university put on helping new students transition into collegiate life, with an eye toward fostering a meaningful community.
“It’s important to build a community both for students who live on campus and for commuter students in order to help each other,” she said.
“For academic purposes, we help them to be prepared for changes that are coming up in academic endeavors. We took a holistic approach to transitioning them to a life on campus.”
From activities as varied as fraternity events to student fairs to petting zoos to tailgating celebrations, Lamar’s Week of Welcome would seem to offer something for everyone.
“Every university has a different approach to its first week, and this is ours,” Eddards said. “It’s something we’ve been doing for years and we plan multiple events during it.”
Eddards said student feedback has been very good throughout the week.
“It’s been a really fun year with high participation this year,” she said. “This year students are really high energy and really excited, so it’s been a fun way to start the year.”
Highlights for the rest of the week include:
Wednesday
• “Ask a Cardinal” Information Table: Library Patio, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Student Organization and Involvement Fair: Setzer Student Center — Live Oak Ballroom, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Casino Night: Setzer Student Center, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Thursday
• Ball Pit Conversations: Dining Hall Lawn, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Library Open House: Mary and John Gray Library, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• The Set Takeover: Setzer Student Center, 8 p.m. to midnight
Saturday
• Tailgating: Provost-Umphrey Stadium, noon to 5 p.m.
• LU Football (vs. KCU): Provost-Umphrey Stadium, 6 p.m.
