Campus Connection

UWL students will participate in New Student Orientation, Sept. 4-8, and Welcome Week, Sept. 8-16. Jennie Hartzheim, UWL’s first-year experience coordinator, is looking forward to their arrival. “New students bring energy and liveliness that re-energizes the spirit of campus,” she says. During New Student Orientation, UWL student leaders, called Eagle Guides, lead small groups of new students through the orientation process. Students begin to form connections and friendships, develop a mentoring relationship with a student leader, and learn about life on campus and in the community. The groups also help students feel connected to campus and cover basic daily living, such as where to eat, how and where to use a campus ID card and campus services such as tutoring and library resource“We know that when a student's basic needs are met, they are going to be better situated to succeed in their student experience,” says Hartzheim. New students move in to residence halls Friday and Saturday, Sept. 4-5. Members of the campus community who are available to help greet new students and/or assist with move-in at any of the eleven residence halls may contact Lisa Weston (lweston@uwlax.edu) for more information. Also, simply welcoming and engaging new students is another way to help ease their transition to campus life, explains Hartzheim. “Simply saying ‘hi’ and smiling can go a long way in making a new student feel welcome and at home as a part of the UWL community,” she says. Learn more about what’s planned for students during New Student Orientation and Welcome Week.