Welcome Week at CIU

Welcome Week at CIU

Welcome Week at CIU

August 16, 2011

Some came in hatchbacks stuffed to the roof.  Some came with U-Hauls in tow.  Some came in a taxi from the airport.  But all have one thing in common.  Their first year at Columbia International University is about to begin. 

About 130 CIU freshmen and transfer students were welcomed outside the freshmen residence halls Aug.16 by upperclassmen with encouraging smiles and plenty of muscle as they helped the new students move in.        

Some of the freshmen hugged and shook hands with each other like old friends, having met during CIU’s Preview Days.  Dads and moms followed lugging suitcases, laundry bags and even some bicycles. 

Welcome Week includes “Connect: CIU,” an orientation to college life CIU style.  During the week the new students will meet their RAs and go over the ground rules for life in the residence halls, learn about study skills and student organizations, and get to know each other at a variety of social events. 

The theme for “Connect CIU” is a play on words: “Shofar So Good.”  It’s a way to introduce the students to the new CIU mascot, the ram.  As the students unloaded their family cars, Old Testament Professor Bryan Beyer was blowing the shofar – a ram’s horn used in the Old Testament to call the Israelites together for important events. 

New CIU seminary and graduate students will have their orientation on Aug. 22.  CIU classes begin on Aug. 23.   

For more photos from move-in day at CIU check out Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciuimpact/sets/72157627461722762/                

CIU Admissions Counselor James McCall (in blue t-shirt) helps a family locate the residence hall.