University of South Carolina Aiken embraces freshmen with an indoor carnival on Wednesday night, where different games were strewn across the gym floor, to encourage students to branch out of their dorms and meet future classmates.
USC Aiken’s programming board Pacer Union Board, or PUB, held the carnival as the first event of the school year before students start classes Thursday morning.
Assistant Director for Student Leadership and Engagement, Ta’Nedria Butler, said, “I’m hoping that students are just coming out and connecting, especially a lot of the freshmen who are just getting here. We want to make sure they are getting out and getting involved. They’re mixing and mingling.”
MORE: Members of Augusta University’s Class of 2026 gather for Convocation
Butler said she is hoping freshmen will not stay in their dorm rooms and will “actually get to know one other” to set a good pace for the rest of the school year.
Bulter shared her goal of getting students more involved on campus early in their freshmen year, because statistics show how isolated young adults have a harder time enjoying college and staying focused academically.
Orientation leader Rachel Weatherford said, “I’m a senior this year and it’s great to see the behind the scenes of what I experienced my freshmen year with orientation. It’s a great way for freshmen to learn the campus and meet new people, because you are in that transition period.”
Weatherford said she regrets not coming out to events more as a freshmen and missing out on enjoyable opportunities, such as the indoor carnival. She also added that welcoming events are important because it sets up positive expectations for future freshmen.
MORE: USC Aiken’s reputation as a military friendly school climbs
Meanwhile, Eric Fulwider, a member of Campus Outreach, believes in the importance of investing in upcoming freshmen and connecting them with other students to avoid anyone feeling like an outsider.
“I think they benefit a lot just by connecting with each other to begin with every semester. It’s really important, especially with the mental health crisis that’s going on in our country, for young people to actually come out of their dorms and hangout,” he said.
According to Fulwider, orientation also played a key role in welcoming freshmen. “I think it’s just helping them know what to expect for college and what challenges will come along with college,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of students come prepared for that.”
Freshman Alexa Carnahan, who is pursuing nursing, said orientation played a major role in helping her chose USC Aiken as her dream college. “It’s definitely what made me decide that I wanted to come here. I really love the campus; the size is perfect,” she said. “A really big university would intimidate me; I would just not enjoy being in a big university.”
Carnahan said she thoroughly enjoyed the variety of events and activities on campus. “It feels like something is always going on,” she said.
MORE: Groundbreaking at USC-Aiken for a multimillion-dollar facility
Hannah Smith, a freshman majoring in education, said she orientation and events, like the carnival, helped her get more comfortable in her new surroundings.
“I was really nervous coming into this that I wasn’t going to be able to talk to people, and I feel like it made it easier. My friend was supposed to be my roommate, but she dropped out last minute,” Smith said. Despite the disappointment and anxiety of rooming with a stranger, Smith shared how she became very close with her roommate after just four days.
Similar to Carnahan, she also chose USC Aiken for the quaint campus and small classes which allow a more hands on staff and learning approach.
As students enjoyed free food and participated in games of chess, checkers and corn hole, it seemed as though the students were all excited for the start of the semester.
For future events at USC Aiken visit: https://usca.edu/events/campus-calendar
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com)
