Archive for August, 2016

Thousands of freshmen holding lit candles raised their flames to the heaven Tuesday night and became a single group, the Class of 2020, united in their desire to make a difference in the world. It was the crowning moment of the Ignite ceremony, now in its fourth year at GCU, which is at once one of the most solemn and joyful events of Welcome Week.

The new First 72 Experience at GCU keeps freshmen busier than ever meeting new people, enjoying social activities, hanging out on their floors and discovering places on campus. For the students at Juniper Hall, it was a smash hit.

Photos by Brandon Sullivan GCU News Bureau Grand Canyon University freshmen gathered Tuesday night for a worship service in GCU Arena and then the traditional Ignite ceremony on the Quad. Earlier, freshmen from faraway places got a chance to connect at the Out of State Student Social.  

Being a Move-In volunteer looked like so much fun, senior writer Rick Vacek just had to try it. And it was. While learning about Room Number Roulette and all the other interesting facets of the experience, he also got to witness first-hand the pure joy that the student volunteers exhibit.

GCU’s cheer and dance teams and its mascot, Thunder, have become nationally recognized for their spirit and skill, and the results in a recent competition in Santa Barbara, Calif., confirmed it. Cheer and dance had their best finishes ever, and Thunder won for the fourth straight year.

The Move-In experience is happy and sad for parents at the same time — they’re thrilled to send off their child to GCU and love the Welcome Week spirit, but they also dread going back to a newly empty nest. “I don’t really know whether to laugh or cry, feel happy or sad,” said one mom.

Photos by Darryl Webb GCU News Bureau The overnight rain ended just in time, giving way to sunny skies and sunny attitudes Tuesday morning for the second day of Move-In at Grand Canyon University. Volunteers were out in force at Juniper, Ironwood and Prescott halls.  

Photos by Brandon Sullivan GCU News Bureau There was plenty for Grand Canyon University freshmen to do soon after they got settled in on campus Monday. After the New Student Expo and New Student and Parent Orientation in the afternoon, the Canyon Cooldown on Monday evening provided a splash of excitement.  

The new crop of freshmen is filled with achievers, and one who is riding particularly high — literally — is Lexi Donaldson, who has made a name for herself nationally in dressage, an equestrian sport that dates to the ancient Greeks. The Colorado native hopes to someday medal in the Olympics, and she’ll be bringing her two horses to the Valley to continue her work toward that goal.

Freshmen began moving into Acacia and Willow residence halls Monday morning amid a cheering throng of volunteers who whooped, cheered and moved belongings like crazy. The high-energy, purple shirt-clad Volunteers swooped down on each incoming car and carried the heaviest belongings up as many as six flights of stairs. GCU Today provides some highlights in this timeline of the excitement.