UNH Welcomes Second-Largest Freshman Class with Annual Welcome Week

On August 21, the University of New Haven opened its doors to the Class of 2028, which boasts the second-largest freshman class in history, with more than 1,400 students choosing UNH as their home away from home. Students were greeted by our Charger Welcome Wagon, a program filled with volunteers who spend multiple days helping incoming students move their belongings to campus.

Darby Brown, president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA), welcomed students to campus with a warm welcome.
“I am so excited to welcome the Class of 2028 to our Charger community,” she said. “Even though they have only been here a short time, I know they are going to make an impact on this campus.”

Welcome Week began the week of August 26th and ended on August 30th. Activities included karaoke nights, movies, and the Inflatable Fun Fest and Glo Party for students to participate in. The Inflatable Fun Fest was held in the Bixler/Gerber quad and included a large water slide, as well as bull riding and axe throwing.

The Glo Party, which also took place in the evening at Bixler/Gerberplein, featured light-up seesaws and swings, which provided the backdrop for a great montage of photos of the freshman class.

“The Glo party was so beautiful,” said Diederick-Fritz Ojeda, a sophomore. “I love going there to dance, listen to the music, and talk to people.”

A major highlight of the week, however, was the annual Involvement Fair. For those who didn’t make it, this event takes place in the Maxcy Quad and features every organization on campus, all setting up tables with items, presentations, and (for some) live demonstrations. The Robotics Club brought out a human-sized robot that drove around and shared QR codes with students as they walked around the seal during the fair.

The Involvement Fair started at 3pm and was strategically scheduled to coincide with all students being out of school and having their first weekend on campus.

The Involvement Fair also provided an opportunity to introduce a variety of organizations to the students, such as Club Tennis and Men’s Club Volleyball. Greek organizations such as Fraternities Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Chi, and sororities such as Alpha Sigma Alpha and Delta Phi Epsilon were also present and at the table. Multicultural organizations also made an appearance, with organizations such as the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), University of New Haven PRIDE, and KPOP Dance Crew. Other clubs such as the UNH Guitar Club and Animation Club also made an appearance.

The board members of the fair organizations were present, because the fair only had two members sitting behind their table. It was a huge success, with a high turnout and many new and happy faces.

“I’m not going to lie, this place is packed,” said Leo Leblanc, executive assistant for UNH Pride. “We’re at 100% capacity and I’m seeing a lot more people than last year. I’m seeing so many sign-ups and flyers being filled out, it’s pretty lively, I like it,” they said.

“I think the engagement fair is really great,” said UNH tennis club member Sara Rogan. “They have ice here, which is really good for the heat. It’s fun, we have a lot of new faces and people signing up!”

“It’s awesome,” said Adam Sigal, Eminent Chronicler for the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon. “We’ve got a lot of people coming out to us, and a lot of new faces that are interested in Greek life,” he said. “I’d say about 40-50 people have signed up to our email list, so it’s a huge turnout.”

“The Involvement Fair is one of my favorite events of the year,” said USGA President Darby Brown. “It’s where all students, both new and returning, find ways to get involved here on campus. As USGA President, I’m a huge believer in getting involved to enhance the student experience. It makes me happy to see so many new and familiar faces at this event, and if that involvement tells us anything about the rest of the semester, I can’t wait to see what’s to come,” she said.

The university also decided to take safety measures to combat the heat and provide students with treats, carrying crates of cold water to distribute to members who were promoting their organization.

While the initial Welcome Week activities have wrapped up, UNH isn’t quite done welcoming our incoming class of 2028. The Student Committee of Programming Events (SCOPE) has many different activities planned for September. The most popular event is Family Day.

Family Day, September 21, invites parents of students to come to campus, explore the halls, meet professors and staff, and see how students are faring in this new chapter of life.
Everyone’s favorite horse, Charlie the Charger, has also made his mark on campus during Welcome Week. With inflatable Charlies set up all over campus, our favorite mascot has been showing off his school spirit and welcoming students to campus.