On the horizon of the first full week of school, Welcome Week commenced with fun events and activities for incoming students. 

From Aug. 15-20, many of the week’s events took place on all different parts of Southeastern’s campus, allowing new students to be introduced to other students and multiple departments. 

One event that took place for Welcome Week was the “Late Night at the REC” event, where students could play games and socialize at the Pennington Student Activity Center on Aug. 16  from 7-9 p.m.

Freshman business administration major Xander Perkins attended Welcome Week’s REC event and had nothing but positives to say about the night. 

“I felt good, a little unsure how it would go since it was the first Welcome Week event I went to. The environment was fun and friendly and plenty of cool games were spread out to enjoy,” Perkins said. 

Perkins recalled several inflatable games in the REC. One consisted of throwing footballs into targets while another dealt with kicking soccer balls instead. 

Another event, the annual Strawberry Jam, took place on Aug. 17 at Strawberry Stadium. While the event had to be moved from the field to the parking garage due to weather conditions, people still attended to keep the fun going. 

On Thursday, Aug. 19, the Paint Party took place on Lee Field for new and returning residential students. This event was hosted by University Housing. 

Isaiah Smith, a junior management major, is a resident assistant who helped out with and enjoyed the Paint Party. He noted how this event helped incoming students fully experience their first week of college.  

“My favorite highlight of the event was getting to run around and spray paint onto my friends,” Smith stated. 

He recommends attending next year’s event, such as another Paint Party. He shared that it is a great way to enter residential life at Southeastern for new students. 

Perkins shared similar thoughts when it came to telling incoming students next year to attend a Welcome Week event. 

“I would definitely recommend incoming freshmen to go to Welcome Week events. Just remember to put yourself out there and meet new people,” Perkins added. 

Perkins was able to make a new friend at this event and said “Late Night at the REC” was a really fun way for new students to meet new people, as was attending other events that Welcome Week had to offer.