By Maya Speece, CIU Student Writer
CIU celebrated the arrival of new students and the reunion of returning students with Welcome Week, a schedule filled with creative events. This year there was even more reason to celebrate, as CIU welcomed its largest incoming class yet.
The fun started with a Luau on the Quad. Decked out in Hawaiian shirts and leis, students played lawn games and listened to tropical music.
Abbey Crates, executive team director of Student Activities said “it was a great way to end the first night of Welcome Week. The decorations were so fun, along with the mocktails and colorful leis. But the students turning up is what really made it a lively event.”
Next on the Welcome Week schedule was the CIU Rams men’s soccer match, featuring an abundance of snow cones and loaded pizza pretzels to satisfy the onlookers. Students milled about cheering for their team with upperclassmen greeting friends they had not seen in months.
That same night, the students played a CIU classic, Grocery Bingo. After each bingo, students would run down the stairs of Hoke Auditorium, nearly tripping over themselves to get their prizes. In a new twist to the game, the students played in groups of three for a chance to win a better prize. The games involved guessing the prices of foods during CIU’s founding in 1923, and determining what drink combination from CIU’s coffee shop, 34 North, would get them closest to $10.
The most popular event, however, was the Club Activity Fair. Students visited the tents of each Student Government Association club to hear about their events and communities.
Student Body President, Xavier Derby, said that the Fair was a great success, adding “the clubs were able to promote themselves to the students, and the students were excited about what the clubs offer.”
Alongside the events open to all students, the freshmen attended orientation sessions to prepare them for college life. Jonah DeRenzo, a freshman, said that “the entire week was super fun. I really enjoyed the breakout sessions. They helped me prepare for classes in ways I didn’t know I needed to.”
In addition, the Recreation Team hosted a neon dodgeball night, a worship session in Shortess Chapel, and a movie on the Quad.
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