Campus Life

Photos by Ralph Freso and Slaven Gujic GCU News Bureau It was a memorable night of fun for Grand Canyon University students Thursday as Lope-A-Palooza was followed by a Walker Hayes concert.  

An early pre-event start and a power outage sent a frenzied crowd of over 7,000 students into an even higher energy level of dancing, clapping, singing and cheering at Thursday night’s Lope-A-Palooza at GCU Arena. The Thundering Heard Band, Cheer team, Dance team, Thunder and the Havocs leaders put on an unforgettable show to kick off the academic school year and pump up new and returning members of the Havocs to support athletics, including the men’s and women’s soccer teams who made an appearance prior to their home opening matches tonight.

Photos by Travis Neely GCU News Bureau The activities on Day 3 of Welcome Week at Grand Canyon University included the Multicultural Festival, the Out-of-State Student Social and the New Student Welcome Night and Ignite ceremony.  

The roar of voices in hundreds of conversations permeated Thunderground on Wednesday afternoon, a testament to the success of the Out-of-State Social. Students from Maryland to Minnesota to Miami met and talked, creating new bonds. Over 400 students attended and stayed double the scheduled time, thanks to a willingness to meet each other amid an assortment of dynamic activities, including Uno card games, bowling, billiards, Foosball, ring game and Jenga.

The big turnout (5,000) for the New Student Worship Night and Ignite ceremony Wednesday night was indicative of the spirited freshman class that has arrived at Grand Canyon University, and the newcomers definitely got into it when the Worship Team put on an equally spirited musical performance. They sang, they clapped, they jumped, and then they went outside and lit up the Quad with their candles and, when the wind didn’t cooperate, cell phones.

Chances are you’ve never tried butter mochi or lumpia, but students had a chance to do just that at the Welcome Week Multicultural Fair on Wednesday on the Grand Canyon University Quad. Four clubs — the Hui Aloha Club, Philippine American Student Association, Black Student Union and Latino Student Union — shared some of their culture at the event and hoped students might feel as if they were among friends.

Photos by Ralph Freso and Slaven Gujic GCU News Bureau It was the usual ebullient scene Wednesday as Grand Canyon University students moved into four residence halls (Ocotillo, Chaparral, Saguaro and Sedona) and two apartment buildings (Diamondback and Jerome).     

Photos by Ralph Freso and Travis Neely GCU News Bureau Tuesday’s Welcome Week activities at Grand Canyon University included the Beach Resort Party, eSports and Arcade Tournaments, Game Night (board games) and Night at the Movies, which featured “Avengers: Infinity War.”  

In the Technology Building, students played games via the glow of computers powered by tons of RAM and sharp graphics. Meanwhile, across campus, gaming took on a different look at the Modern Board Gamers Guild’s Game Night, where old-school tabletop board games was the call of the day. Either way, students networked and connected with each other during Welcome Week through high-tech and old-school gaming.

How do thousands of GCU students and their families make their way in cars, vans and U-Hauls from the perimeter of campus to their well-appointed residence hall rooms? Thousands of volunteers welcome them and move them in under the direction of Charity Norman, Director of Welcome Programs. GCU senior writer Theresa Smith embedded with Norman on Tuesday. One day earlier, she was shadowed by a video crew. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Move-In.