Knowing Welcome Weekend




05.31.18

What to expect during Welcome Weekend

Maddie Capron / Managing Editor

There are very few things that can make you feel more at home in Athens than Welcome Weekend.

From the second you get the keys to your brand new room in your residence hall, everything is new and exciting. You get to unpack your new accessories and make your space exactly how you want it. You start meeting people from all over the state, nation and world, and you’ll all be friends instantly because you probably don’t know many other people.

You’ll probably go to a dining hall for the first time and try pizza from Shively Dining Hall or breakfast foods at Nelson Court. You’ll travel in a pack everywhere and try what will soon become your favorite late-night snack. Maybe you’ll be a fan of fried mac-and-cheese at Union Street Diner, 70 W. Union St., or order fried rice at Fusion Noodle Company, 30 W. Union St.

It will probably be extremely hot, and walking up the hills will feel like climbing a mountain. Mill Street will look like a scene out of a movie during those first few nights back, and you can only get that during that one weekend. Everyone will be so excited and happy to be back, and you’ll probably hear people screaming or shrieking when they get reunited with their friends, which will become a thing you’ll do in the years to come.

During the weekend, you’ll be jammed into Peden Stadium and onto the football field for a photo with every freshman. If it’s anything like when I did it, you will probably be sweaty, sticky and ready to be back in your bed. The sun will be beating on you, and you’ll feel like you’re squinting the entire time.

There will be programs put on by sleep-deprived resident assistants and mandatory floor meetings to attend. You will probably be worried about getting your textbooks and what school supplies you need for classes to start on Monday, but those things will get worked out. You’ll also get a lot of free stuff from pizza to T-shirts to a water bottle or two.

Perhaps the best tradition of Welcome Weekend, however, is when Ohio University President Duane Nellis welcomes you in The Convo along with every other freshman.

“I don’t know how you spent your summer, but I spent mine falling in love. Don’t worry — my wife, Ruthie, already knows all about this,” Nellis said at last year’s convocation. “In fact, she fell in love this summer, too. We both fell in love with Ohio University.”

You’ll fall in love with the campus and town, too. After Convocation, you’ll get to follow the Marching 110 up Richland Avenue and onto College Green.

The band can be heard across campus, but only vaguely until it gets closer to College Green, which is swarming with new opportunities and upperclassmen waiting at the involvement fair.

Kevin Pan | SLOT EDITOR

The Marching 110 performs on College Green at the involvement fair.



Nearly all of the student organizations on campus will be there to welcome you. They’ll want you to join their team, and they’re genuinely excited for you to be there. Everything from Harry Potter Alliance to Bobcathon to even The Post will be there. Find the things you love, and jump right in.

Then, the music gets louder and everyone remembers what it feels like to be back on campus, and new freshmen are officially welcomed to Athens for the first time as they walk through Alumni Gateway and onto College Green.

“So enter that daily thou mayest grow in knowledge wisdom and love,” the gateway reads.

Welcome home. You’re going to love it.

Development by: Megan Knapp / Digital Production Editor

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