Welcome Week

This week’s Welcome Session is more than just an opportunity for students and parents to gain valuable information about the University. It also includes an emotional rite-of-passage moment for new Lopes and their families. The New Student Commissioning, otherwise known as the pinning ceremony, made for a special moment as parents placed a GCU pin on their student’s shirt, symbolizing their transition into college. “It was really meaningful for our family to be part of that process,” said one father.

When junior mechanical engineering major Daniela Chavira attended Welcome Week as a freshman, her parents, who don’t speak English, didn’t get the same experience she did. That’s why it was so important to her to talk to parents at the first parent/family orientation for Spanish speakers on Monday morning at GCU Arena. Chavira said, “I wanted to make sure they felt heard.” Students and staff also wore “Preguntame” (“Ask me”) buttons and “Bienvenidos a GCU” (“Welcome to GCU”) T-shirts as part of the initiative to support first-generation students and Spanish-speaking families.

GCU life leaders were among the thousands of students roaming the campus as Move-In began today. But they were the ones trying to make connections, as they do throughout the year. The 243 students who are selected to cultivate a Christ-centered community were in training all last week and learned that a lot of what they foster happens outside their weekly Bible study in each residence hall. “People don’t care what you know unless they know that you care,” senior Josh Gillespie said. “You have to start with the foundation of loving them first.”

It’s official — the first day of Move-In brought The Rivers to life. Students have a multitude of things about their new apartment complex to get excited about in the coming months. “Everyone is super excited,” said Salt River resident director and 2018 GCU graduate Brittany Diatte. “The building is new, so everyone’s saying, ‘It’s so fresh and new in here.’”

Welcome Week will be a more welcoming place to all students this year, thanks to the efforts of Welcome Programs. Staff and volunteers will lead orientations for Spanish-speaking students and families or stand post across campus, wearing shirts and buttons that signal welcome and support. It’s part of an effort to ease the way for first-generation students, who will make up 1 in 5 of news students at Welcome Week, many of them Latino.

Move-In gets the year started off right for incoming GCU students, but it has the same effect on the volunteers who help them. Whether they’re helping for the first time or are seniors and have done it every year, they treasure the excitement. “It’s my third year, and it’s always the same energy,” said one.

There’s a reason GCU’s signature event, Move-In, runs smoothly. Event Services, Student Affairs, Residence Life and other teams work hard to make it the most memorable experience possible for first-time Lopes, and they often do it from behind the scenes … and with Uncrustables at the ready.

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.

GCU’s Move-In tradition continues with the ultimate warm welcome, beginning Friday when Welcome Crew members arrive on campus. As students, faculty and staff once again personally move students into their rooms, it sets the tone for a pay-it-forward campus culture. Move-In kicks into high gear on Monday, Aug. 20, and the entire week is filled with activities designed to help freshmen and transfer students make friends and settle in while returning students catch up with friendships and dive into leadership roles.

The leaders of the Associated Students of GCU (ASGCU) are running a small business this summer. In preparation for the school year, they are planning events, budgeting, hiring vendors and student leaders, and publicizing their efforts to maximize student engagement. Each of the four leaders brings leadership experience to their collaborative effort, thanks to their campus jobs.