New Students Get Sweet Taste of Campus Life At Fall Welcoming

Student Activities kicked off the semester by hosting Fall Welcome Week Aug. 19 to 21, filled with fun events for new students to enjoy. 

“Fall Welcome Week was something that we really wanted to make a first impression on the students,” Student Activities Event Supervisor Walker Sandler said.

According to Walker, the events were an opportunity for students to get a feel of what Liberty is like and also to have the chance to know other Liberty students. For three days, students could attend different events, from Rock the Mic in the Food Court at Reber-Thomas to relaxing on the Academic Lawn for an Outdoor Movie Night.

The first event, Rock the Mic, was a smaller event held Aug. 19-20 at 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with a rock band in the Food Court at Reber-Thomas. This was a new idea, according to Walker. 

“It was something we never really thought of, and it was something our new director pitched, and it went really well,” Sandler said.

Freshman Paris Swisher, who attended Jazz Night, featuring The Liberty Jazz Ensemble, said she loved being able to soak in the atmosphere while meeting new people.

“I got to meet some people on my hall through that, and then we went to worship, and we started going to more events together, so going to all these social events has helped me make friends already,” Swisher said.

Sandler said he and his team were nervous for Jazz Night as the forecast called for rain. However, the night ended in success with approximately 800 students attending, making it the most popular Jazz Night so far.

“I think it was a lot of fun…we heard from people that they enjoyed it,” Sandler said. 

According to Sandler, Bingo Night attracted more than 500 people. 

“We actually had to turn people away because we ran out of table space and places for them to sit,” he said.

Liberty University student Seth Schilinski attempted to go to Bingo Night with his friends and saw how popular the event was.

“There was a humungous line…so we started waiting, and the line was going all the way to the gym,” Schilinski said.

The last two events were held on the Academic Lawn.  An Outdoor Open Mic brought around 400 students. Students indulged in refreshments, including snow cones, iced coffee, Rookie’s and kettle corn popcorn. 

“Those lines were down the path so far, and it was just constant handing out stuff, so I think people really enjoyed that,” Sandler said. “We wanted to bring it back this year and really engage with the students a little bit more and make a few other people feel comfortable to come up onto stage and perform and show their talents off.”

Movie Night, featuring the film “Godzilla vs. Kong,” wrapped up the weekend with 1,100 students in attendance. 

“That’s like one of the first times we’ve ever (shown a movie) on the academic lawn, but a lot of people enjoyed it,” Sandler said. “I think it really allowed students to feel really welcomed and allowed them to not be nervous to go to events like this.”

Hannah Woolwine is a News Reporter.