Full slate of orientation activities for new Roanoke students
August 28, 2015
From building a house on campus to exploring downtown Roanoke, new Roanoke College students will settle into college life in unique ways this year.
Saturday, Aug. 29 is move-in day and the start of orientation for approximately 511 new Roanoke students. The new Maroons hail from 38 states, while 28 are international students. Traffic in and around the College campus likely will be congested throughout the morning as families and students arrive.
Wednesday, Sept. 2 is the first full day of classes for all Roanoke students.
Here are highlights of the College's 2015 orientation for the future class of 2019.
Saturday, Aug. 29:
Induction Ceremony and College Welcome: New students seal their fate as official Maroons during this 4 p.m. Bast Gym ceremony at which they sign their names into the College's record books and receive an official welcome from President Mike Maxey.
Extreme Alumnus: Students will be inspired by one of the College's most adventurous alumni, Sean Burch '92. Burch, a seven-time world record holder, extreme hiker and survivor and the 2014 winner of National Geographic Channel's Ultimate Survival Alaska, will address Roanoke's new students on the first evening of orientation. His talk begins at 9:30 p.m. in the Bast Center.
Sunday, Aug. 30:
R-House: For the 10th year, new Roanoke students will strap on hard hats, pick up hammers and start building a house - on the College's campus. Each year during orientation, groups of first-year students work in shifts to build the beginnings of a Habitat for Humanity home for a needy family. This year, construction will take place in the Hawthorn Road parking lot, adjacent to the College's track. Students will build portions of the house from Sunday, Aug. 30 through Tuesday, Sept. 1. On Thursday, Sept. 3 at 11 a.m., Habitat crews will move the house to its permanent spot at 1208 Fairfax Ave., in Northwest Roanoke. This house marks Habitat's 200th in the Roanoke Valley.
Roanoke College Downtown: New Maroons get a night on the town. Students will travel by bus to downtown Roanoke, where participating restaurants will host them in exchange for College-issued $5 wooden tokens. The evening starts at 7:45 p.m. and will include live music and a welcome address from a Roanoke City representative. Students will mingle in the downtown market area, at the Kirk Avenue outdoor stage and at nearby restaurants.
Monday, Aug. 31:
The Challenge: A Pledge of Allegiance to Integrity: As part of this new orientation event, first-year Roanoke students will commit to living a life of integrity that adheres with the core values of the College. At 8:30 p.m., students will meet at Clay and High Streets, listen to a brief message from Aaron Fetrow, vice president of Student Affairs, and take a pledge to a way of life that embodies Roanoke's four pillars - academic excellence, commitment to community, service to others and a life of personal distinction. They then will walk in a procession toward Roanoke's Administration building, where they each will receive a special Challenge coin, embossed with the College seal, from President Mike Maxey and other administrators.
After the ceremony, there will be food, live music, a selfie station and other interactive activities for students on Roanoke's Back Quad.