Fall quarter, the beginning of the academic year, brings thousands of students to the University of Washington Bothell campus for new challenges and opportunities. Welcome Week, which begins with Move-In Day on Sept. 21, is filled with dozens of activities to help the students create community with each other and prepare for the year ahead.
According to James Miller, director of admissions, about 1,600 first-year and transfer students are new to campus for 2018-19. The experience of stepping onto campus as a student for the first time can be daunting, so ensuring they feel welcome from the start is a top priority for the UW Bothell Orientation & Transition Program.
Carrie Newman, assistant director, organizes Welcome Week with the goal of introducing new students to campus life and helping returning students to reconnect. When students feel a sense of belonging, Newman said, they do better academically.
“Welcome Week aims to get the year started full of Husky pride and to set students up for success,” she said.
Among the week’s events is A Conversation with Patrisse Cullors on Thursday, Sept. 27. Cullors, an educator, artist and organizer, is co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. In 2013, she co-founded the movement with the viral Twitter hashtag #BlackLivesMatter which has since grown to an international organization with dozens of chapters around the world fighting anti-Black racism. She is also founder of the grassroots organization Dignity and Power Now, advocating for all incarcerated people, their families and communities.
Following are additional highlights of Welcome Week. Details about all the activities offered are available the Welcome Week webpage and the UW Bothell events calendar.
- Friday, Sept. 21: Move-in Day. About 300 students move into Husky Village and Campus View apartments.
- Saturday, Sept. 22: Outdoor movie on the Plaza. Students are invited to an evening showing of “The Incredibles 2.”
- Sunday, Sept. 23: Convocation. The official ceremonial start to the year in the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) is followed by the fun-filled chancellor’s picnic on the Plaza.
- Monday, Sept. 24: UW Basics. This day-long program busts myths first-year students may have about college.
- Tuesday, Sept. 25: Recreation & Wellness. Learn about programs offered through the ARC.
- Wednesday, Sept. 26: Classes begin.
- Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 26-27: Activities and Resource Fair. More than 65 clubs and organizations set up tables on the Plaza and invite students to become involved.
- Friday, Sept. 28: Block Party. Students are invited to unwind at the ARC with friends, old and new.
