The new year is here and for many new students the thought of making new friends, attending new classes and creating new experiences is a scary thought. Thankfully, the Programming Activities Council’s (PAC) Welcome Week aims to ease those stubborn anxieties with a series of activities throughout the initial week. This year hosted six events, all meant to smooth your transition on campus. Although it’s mainly intended for new students, anybody can join in the festivities.

Lead by the veteran student organization of PAC, Welcome Week has become something I look forward to every year. Scanning through the list of events you’ll find several new ideas mixed in with old favorites. The week was kicked off with Water Day. Scheduled on Sunday, Aug. 24, this gave students a chance to find friendly faces in their Monday classes. Although I did not attend this one, the surrounding buzz seemed to end on a positive note along with the majority of events.

Monday held the always appreciated Mavily BBQ, but I was actually more drawn to the succulents on Tuesday. Perhaps the simplest of Welcome Week’s offerings, this was a nice idea and one that delivered exactly as promised: a beautiful succulent for your personal space. 

The rest of the events were fairly standard. Grocery Bingo always draws the big crowds. Although being slightly chaotic, it still leaves students satisfied with the large prize pool and noticeable effort. Donuts and coffee served as a nice break before the glow party, which capped the week-long celebration with music, lights and plenty of dancing. Although at times I wish PAC would do more with Welcome Week, I was left at the end feeling content with this year’s result. 

The only real major disappointment with this week was the lack of advertising towards the specific events. There were no Facebook posts, promotions or hype built up at all. I suppose the word of mouth strategy didn’t waiver the crowds too much, but it would have been nice to know what I would be getting myself into. Not a major blunder, but definitely something unusual out of PAC.

At the end of the day, Welcome Week provided exactly as promised. New and returning students alike were able to meet and have fun through the unique offerings by PAC. While not exactly innovative in design, the group consistently provides well organized events throughout the calendar year. I hope to see more things like this out in the future PAC.