Transition program helps new students feel at home
Aug. 17, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- More than 1,500 first-time students are expected on the WMU campus Monday, Aug. 20, through Thursday, Aug. 23, for "Bronco Days: A Bronco Odyssey."
The program, now in its third year, builds on the summer orientation program by homing in on issues of particular significance to freshmen. It consists of three and a half full days of social events and training programs that help students make their academic and social transition to college life, familiarize themselves with the campus as well as student resources and services, and learn skills necessary to succeed in a rigorous academic setting.
By the time school starts, participants have replaced anxiety with information and feel as comfortable with their new surroundings as many upperclassmen do. Bronco Days will kick off with a convocation featuring a welcoming address by President Elson S. Floyd at 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, in Read Fieldhouse's University Arena. Immediately following the convocation, extroverts as well as introverts will gather in University Arena for the annual Bronco Stampede. The event allows new students, including freshman, transfer and international students, to meet one another and get acquainted through organized ice breakers and team building and group interaction exercises.
Other Bronco Days activities scheduled in addition to various educational sessions include a block party, nightly entertainment and games, and even a "graduation" ceremony to end the program. This year's graduation ceremony is slated for 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 23, in Miller Auditorium. It will feature WMU alumnus Michael Skupin, who was a 2001 participant on the "Survivor" television series, and be followed by a free Bliss 66 concert in the Fountain Plaza next to Miller.
For more information, contact Sandy Barry-Loken in the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Programs at 616 387-2115.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu