As thousands of students move to campus, the Wolfpack will be putting on a series of events to welcome all students to NC State and promote the different organizations on campus that they can engage in during their time on campus.
Genna Martella, assistant director of New Student Programs, said that the variety of events are curated so that each member of campus can engage with programs and organizations that exist at the university.
“Wolfpack Welcome Week kicks off the year by providing both new students and returning students [with ways] to connect with the university, and returning students to connect with the opportunities that are available, to engage in some traditions,” Martella said. “For our new students who have now gone through orientation this summer, to introduce to a lot of the opportunities that are here at State, and to be officially welcomed into the institution to engage with some of our traditions.”
Martella said that the purpose of Wolfpack Welcome Week is not only to develop a sense of community and tradition with students, new and old, but also to help them seek organizations and engage with their peers with common interests.
“The overall goal is to develop a sense of community with NC State,” Martella said. “Whether that be in small social groups, connecting to student organizations or connecting with their academic home.”
Martella said that she hopes that students can also develop skills to power them through their college careers.
“We hope students start to develop skills they need to thrive and succeed,” Martella said. “[We want them to] understand a little bit more of what life looks like on campus and feel a part of the Pack as they go into their first academic semester or just a fresh new academic semester that they can start off on a high note and take that through as they begin the new year.”
Each year, new student organizations, programs and departments are encouraged to engage in Welcome Week. This year, there will be over 125 events occurring throughout the duration of the week, including new additions such as an activity that incorporates LimeBikes and Student Health Services, as well as unique spins on signature events such as Campus Connections.
“There is an opportunity to take a LimeBike ride into the sunset with Student Health Services, which is a new program that’s happening this year,” Martella said. “[We can do it] because of all of the LimeBikes that we have on campus this year as opposed to last year or just a new organization that’s doing a program that maybe just started last year.”
This year, Campus Connections, a signature event where students can explore the different organizations available to them on NC State’s campus, will be making it easier for students to navigate Talley through their phones to find organizations that they are interested in learning about.
“For the first time ever, Student Involvement is putting student organizations into zones,” Martella said. “So students will actually be able to engage on our mobile guide prior to the event happening to be able to look at where is an organization that [they] might be interested in, what area are they at so they can really make the most of that program.”
Through the mobile guide, the hope is that students get to explore new student organizations that meet each student’s individual interest.
“Campus Connections really takes up most of the space in Talley, so the great thing is that there are lots of opportunities to get involved to find something that you’re super excited about,” Martella said. “So hopefully these zones, throughout the program we’ll allow students to engage with even more things that they’re interested in and even discover things that they may not have even known to be cool opportunities for them.”
To learn more about Wolfpack Welcome Week events and to access the mobile guide, click here.
