The Student Activities Center at the University of New Mexico is welcoming students back to campus with open arms as they continue to host Welcome Back Days from Aug. 23 to Aug. 27, which will feature differently themed days and tabling events during the first week of school.
“We need to kind of jump-start campus life again, and Welcome Back Days … are really good places to find those opportunities to get involved with UNM and make it a better place,” SAC director Ryan Lindquist said.
All of the events taking place on main campus will be at the Duck Pond from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with various visitors to represent different sides of campus. Each day will have free food and/or drinks while supplies last (served starting at noon unless specified otherwise), and live music will be playing at most of the events.
- Monday: President's Ice Cream Social & Departmental Information Day
- Tuesday: Safety, Health, Wellness and Recreation Day
- Wednesday: UNM Communities Day
North Campus Welcome Back Day (located on north campus)
- Thursday: Student Organization Day
- Friday: Campus Employment and Community Service Day
The first day of classes on Monday will have President Garnett Stokes and University administrators serving ice cream, while information booths from different UNM schools and departments will be nearby to talk about “campus programs, services and resources,” according to SAC.
Tuesday will have “safety demos, recreational activities and healthy living alternatives'' from the Safety, Health, Wellness and Recreation departments, according to SAC. Visitors can also receive free watermelon.
Wednesday will showcase the culturally based resources on campus; related programs, departments, resource centers and organizations will be present at UNM Communities Day on main campus. Visitors may also enjoy free green chile stew and Pepsi products. On north campus, information booths will be present from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. southeast of the Domenici Center, along with free watermelon and Pepsi products.
The second half of the week is focused on student organizations along with employment and community service opportunities. ASUNM student government leaders, as well as 200 student organizations, will be present on Thursday to talk about “how to get involved with the over 400 student organizations on campus,” according to SAC. Free Pepsi products and Dion’s pizza will be served.
Friday ends the Welcome Back Days with departments and organizations that are actively looking to hire or recruit students, and the UNM Alumni Association will serve free coffee and donuts from 9 a.m. until supplies run out; free Pepsi products will also be served.
Different groups are outside on different days intentionally, as Lindquist said SAC doesn’t want Welcome Back Days to become “static.”
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The Welcome Back Days’ events will be a new experience for both first-year and second-year students due to the virtual environment that the COVID-19 pandemic forced the University to be in for the past year and a half. Second-year Ph.D. student Kelsey Treviño said she wouldn’t be surprised if people are more involved this year than previous years due to the isolation that many have endured over the pandemic.
“We really want to expose people to the different areas of campus, and allow them to know all the different resources and areas that are here to help them,” Lindquist said.
According to Lindquist, different organizations will integrate back into campus life at different paces, which allows for socialization “to happen for the student at the pace that they’re comfortable with.”
Treviño, a member of the Students Solidarity Coalition, will be participating at Welcome Back Days for her organization and is excited to get back to socializing on campus again with the COVID-19 regulations that are currently in place keeping everyone safe.
“If you can meet somebody where they’re (physically) at, shake hands with somebody and actually talk to somebody in person, it just makes the situation a lot more personable,” Treviño said, comparing these in-person events to the Zoom events that have taken place during the pandemic.
The University is following the state-wide mandate that masks are required indoors at all times unless someone is eating or drinking.
“I think (SAC is) excited to see campus life returning to UNM in whatever way that students feel comfortable in doing, so we encourage them to take the steps to make connections on campus because it's only going to make their time at UNM better and it truly makes UNM a stronger place when students are involved and active on campus,” Lindquist said.
Megan Gleason is the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @fabflutist2716
