Syracuse Welcome 2012

By SU News Services:  Jill Ouikahilo

On Wednesday, Aug. 22, approximately 3,800 first-year and transfer students will arrive at Syracuse University to kick off the 2012-13 academic year. When they do, Syracuse Welcome, SU’s orientation program, will help them get acclimated and ready to start the new semester.

Syracuse Welcome involves hundreds of student and staff volunteers who warmly greet incoming students as they arrive on campus. These volunteers will assist students with move-in and help them get familiar with campus. Once settled, new students will participate in events and experiences designed to get them acquainted with each other, the campus, its resources, and the greater Syracuse community.

“Syracuse University has a wonderful tradition of coming together as a community to greet new students and families,” says Carrie Grogan Abbott, director of the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs. “Syracuse University students—affectionately known as the Goon Squad—have been volunteering in this capacity since the 1940s. Hundreds of University faculty, staff, and alumni also come together with the students, all to make our new students feel part of the SU family.”

Signature features of Syracuse Welcome include:

• Assistance from the Goon Squad: more than 600 current student volunteers help unload cars and move items into rooms;
• Home to the Dome, a spirited event celebrating the arrival of students in the Carrier Dome;
• Parents Convocation: an official welcome and informational session for parents;
• Chancellor’s Convocation for New Students; and
• “Feel the Pulse of Syracuse,” an event introducing students to the food and culture of downtown Syracuse.

Welcome to the academy
As always, intellectual engagement will play a central role in Syracuse Welcome. The Chancellor’s Convocation for New Students opens the academic year Friday, Aug. 24 in the Carrier Dome. SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor will greet students and their families and introduce the inaugural first-year experience. The convocation begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends with SU’s traditional “Lunch on the Turf,” after which families will be encouraged to depart campus.

Students will also attend academic advising sessions, new student receptions and convocations for their home school or college.

Welcome to Central New York
Syracuse Welcome continues its long-standing tradition of introducing students to the wealth of opportunities for fun and engagement off the hill and within the city of Syracuse. On Saturday, Aug. 25, SU hosts “Feel the Pulse of Syracuse,” an exploration of downtown Syracuse and the Connective Corridor. Students will visit the heart of the downtown area to sample the cultural, commercial and social offerings of Armory Square.

The evening will feature a taste of Armory Square restaurant offerings in a street festival atmosphere, a chance to shop in the historic Armory Square district, and a sampling of eclectic showcases of live music and dance. As the evening unfolds, giant puppets from the Open Hand Theater, along with the SU Marching Band, will move a festive procession along Armory Square. The evening will culminate at the John Mulroy Civic Center with a laugh-out-loud comedic performance.

Note: Traffic volume in and around the University will be heavier than usual, due to the move-in on Aug. 22 and 23. Assisted moves will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. Those traveling in the University area should keep this in mind as they enter and leave the area. On Aug. 25, Walton and Franklin streets, between Fayette and Jefferson, will be closed from 2 -7:30 p.m. Free parking for patrons of Armory Square businesses is available all day in the Atrium Garage on Fayette and Franklin streets.

For a complete listing of the week’s events, visit http://readyset.syr.edu. The site also contains answers to frequently asked questions, updated schedules and registration information. Syracuse Welcome is a University-wide effort coordinated by the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs.

For more information on Syracuse Welcome 2012, contact the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs at (315) 443-1012.