MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University is ready to welcome back current Mountaineers and incoming freshman as part of Student Move-In Weekend.
Welcome Week kicked off Thursday with students moving into university residence halls with scheduled move-in times through Sunday.
WVU Executive Director of Communications April Kaul expressed excitement for the start of the upcoming semester as university staff across campus prepare for tens of thousands of students to arrive in Morgantown during Student Move-In Weekend.
“We know traffic is going to be a little busier as students and their families are trying to move into residence halls and off-campus housing,” said Kaul ahead of the start of Student Move-in Weekend. “We (will) have police officers from the University Police Department with our event and security staff working to keep traffic moving,” she said.
Student activities are scheduled to begin the minute that students arrive with the first ever Welcome Week Bucket List Challenge.
According to Kaul, the student-only contest encourages new Mountaineers to explore the WVU campus, find five locations, and learn about their importance to the university. The first student to collect five stickers from those locations will win a $1,000 gift card with a special giveaway for those who complete those items before Friday, August 23. Volunteer opportunities and chances to get familiar with the academic side of WVU will also be offered ahead of Monday Night Lights and FallFest.
“It’s sort of a campus scavenger hunt with some prizes for students, so we’re excited about that,” said Kaul, describing the Bucket List Challenge that will take place during Welcome Week. “We also have some of our perennial favorites (such as) Monday Night Lights, which is going to be August 19 at Milan Puskar Stadium.”
WVU will host Monday Night Lights on Welcome Week Monday starting at 6 p.m., where the WVU Class of 2028 will get a chance to receive class-specific t-shirts, participate in tailgate activities, and enjoy a performance from the Pride of West Virginia Marching Band. The now-signature event will also include chances for students to take a class picture on the WVU football field and sign an exclusive Class of 2028 flag that will be joined by others that were signed since the tradition began in 2018. Kaul added that this brings more excitement to new Mountaineers ahead of FallFest and FoodFest, which are scheduled to start of Tuesday, August 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Evansdale Athletic Fields.
“It’s that signature Welcome Week event that so many of our first-time students are excited about where we take their first class photo on the field,” said Kall regarding Monday Night Lights. “We also have FoodFest and FallFest on Tuesday, August 20,” she said.
The lineup for FallFest, which has previously hosted performing artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Maroon 5, and Cage the Elephant in years past, is scheduled to be announced Friday.
Kaull advises Morgantown residents to expect traffic delays if you’re traveling around campus this weekend as student move ins take place from Thursday through Saturday. With thousands of students and their families, many of whom are out-of-state residents, moving into dorms around downtown Morgantown and parts of the Evansdale and Sunnyside neighborhoods, motorists should expect normal routes to potentially double in drive times and maybe more depending on location. With a full school year ahead for both WVU and Morgantown residents, Kaul hopes that the move-in will go smoothly as Mountaineers young and old are welcomed back into the Morgantown community.
“A lot of the people who are going to be coming in may be coming into Morgantown for the first time and be unfamiliar with our streets,” said Kaul, forewarning Morgantown residents who may see heavy traffic. “So, I think, if everyone just packs their patience along with everything else, it should be good, but we’re really excited for the start of the semester,” she said.
The 2024 fall semester for WVU is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 21.
Story by Mike Nolting, WAJR