Connecting Residents in an Amazing Place

Week of Welcome Recap

For many of us who work in Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises, a large portion of our summer is spent planning and implementing the welcome of over 10,000 residents to our facilities during the annual Fall Move-in. For our student leaders, the big excitement is actually in the days following move-in, aptly titled “Week of Welcome,” or more often “WOW.” WOW is a series of programs which allow residents to connect and get involved in the UCSB community. These programs are put on by our student government groups, RHA (Residence Halls), and SACC (Undergrad Apartments). Quite frankly, this year’s student leadership team rocked it! With programs such as “Let’s TACObout College,” “Gaucho Summer Pool Party,” “Be Gentle With Your Mental,” and “Adventures in Adulting,” and more students attending than ever before, WOW was a big success.

Not only do WOW programs allow new and returning students to get connected, but they also provide an opportunity for our student leaders to work together and gain new skills. This year’s student leaders really stepped up the planning and organization, and it showed. When asked about what made this year so much of a success, Student Leadership Manager Deejay Johnson responded, “Their high critical thinking skills made the magic happen. Disneyland is not the only place where magic exists.” That magic helped the team pull off the week’s biggest event, the Ice Cream Social, despite the ice cream truck not showing up! They quickly jumped into action and purchased all the ice cream they could find at BOTH Goleta Albertsons, and turned what could have been a disastrous situation into the week’s biggest success. The team is also proud of spreading WOW to the Undergrad Apartments, and the high attendance at SACC sponsored events.

WOW highlights:

• Number of Days: 9
• Number of Events: 18
• Number of Locations: 26
• Number of attendees: 10,428
• Most attended event: Ice Cream Social at Storke Plaza, 6600 students