Like every year at IUPUI, Weeks of Welcome (WOW) is set to kick off the new school year, and despite the pandemic, the two-week slate of events will provide students with plenty of activities both virtual and in-person to get the year started.
WOW will begin Aug. 22 and run through Sept. 4, and while this years’ events will primarily consist of virtual experiences, some in-person opportunities will be available and open to all students. The challenge of moving programs to a virtual platform means some of the signature annual events, such as Ice Cream Social and Light Up the Night, won’t take place. However, IUPUI is tentatively planning to introduce some new experiences, including outdoor movies.
“Converting the majority of our WOW programs from in-person to virtual experiences began in April and has required a lot of creativity, ingenuity and patience from all program planners,” said Brett Watson, associate director of Educational Partnerships and Student Success. “Overall our campus partners have worked really hard to utilize various virtual platforms along with social media to provide fun, engaging and informative experiences for the IUPUI community.”
All in-person events will need to adhere to campus expectations and guidelines. Masks will be required along with physical distancing. Some events may also have additional guidelines that will be communicated through signage or verbal instructions at the event. Some in-person events may have sanitizer stations available for use, and it is encouraged that everyone sanitize as appropriate.
Among the in-person events on the schedule, Weeks of Welcome will feature the Find the Way FTK Scavenger Hunt hosted by Jagathon, along with a pair of movies thanks to SAPB. Tentatively, the plan is to show Birds of Prey and Fantasy Island outdoors.
Virtual events will include a part-time job fair, a study abroad fair, SAPB First Night and Bring Your Best: Actions for Success in College & Life with Paul Wesselmann, the Ripples Guy.
“We hope that students will take advantage of the various experiences offered through WOW to network with others, learn about campus resources and most importantly have fun,” said Watson.
For more information, and for a complete schedule, visit wow.iupui.edu.