Full slate of activities await new Maroons
August 18, 2016
The first few days of college life are packed for Roanoke's newest Maroons. They will be moving into residence halls, exploring downtown Roanoke, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house on campus and more.
This Saturday, Aug. 27, is move-in day and the start of orientation for approximately 600 new Roanoke students. The class of 2020 represents 29 states and includes 21 international students.
Also, among the newest Roanoke class are 14 class presidents, 13 Eagle Scouts, nine newspaper editors and 154 National Honor Society participants.
Here are highlights of Roanoke's 2016 orientation events.
Saturday, Aug. 27:
Move- In: At 9 a.m., vehicles loaded down with new students' belongings will begin lining up at Roanoke College's campus entrance. The Maroons Corps, a group of Roanoke student orientation leaders, will do much of the heavy lifting as they help students move their items into residence halls. Move-In will continue through the early afternoon.
Induction Ceremony and College Welcome: New students will seal their fate as official Maroons during this 4 p.m. ceremony in the new Cregger Center, at which they sign their names into the College's official record books.
Orientation Olympics: Starting at 8:30 p.m., new students will spend the evening competing in various games as teams throughout campus. There will be trivia, lawn games, corn hole, flag football and more.
Sunday, Aug. 28:
R-House: For the 11th 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. Construction will take place in the Hawthorn Road parking lot, adjacent to the College's outdoor track. Students will build portions of the house from Aug. 28 through Aug. 30. On Sept. 1, Habitat crews will move the house to its permanent spot on Loudon Avenue in Roanoke.
Roanoke College Downtown: New Maroons get a night on the town. Students will travel by bus from Salem 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 Billy's, Corned Beef & Co. and other nearby restaurants.
Monday, Aug. 29:
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. His talk begins at 8:30 p.m. in the Cregger Center.
Tuesday, Aug. 30:
The Challenge: 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 7:15 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. Afterwards, students will head to Kerr Stadium to cheer on Roanoke's men's soccer team in a game against Averett University.