Faculty and staff are showing their Cyclone spirit by welcoming new and returning students to campus during the inaugural Cyclone Welcome Weekend: Camp Iowa State, Aug. 19-20.
The weekend will provide students healthy, community-building activities, supported by about 140 volunteers. Faculty and staff are giving their time during one of the busiest weekends on the calendar that includes Destination Iowa State for first-year students, residence halls move-in and the Iowa State Fair. Supervisors were asked to encourage and work with employees to adjust their schedules, and it resulted in nearly all of the volunteer positions being filled weeks before the event.
"It's incredible to see the response from our staff and faculty stepping up to support Cyclone Welcome Weekend in addition to the many other events and activities occurring before the start of the semester," said President Wendy Wintersteen. "My deep thanks to the ISU community for helping us live the tenets of our new strategic plan to be the most student-centric leading research university with a welcome and inclusive environment for all."
Volunteers will help set up and clean before and after events, ensure activities run smoothly and welcome students back to campus before classes begin on Monday, Aug. 22. Those who signed up to help by Aug. 1 receive a free T-shirt and their choice of gift card to the ISU Creamery or an ISU Dining café. Volunteers also receive a commemorative event poster and 100 Adventure2 points for those who participate in the ISU WellBeing program.
The weekend has a full schedule of activities, beginning Friday afternoon and concluding early Sunday morning. Friday events include a cookout and volleyball exhibition between Iowa State and Missouri, free for students, at Hilton Coliseum. Saturday begins with a G.O.A.T breakfast followed by a chance to take part in goat (the animal, not Greatest Of All Time) camp calisthenics. The Cyclone football team will scrimmage in front of students only at Jack Trice Stadium from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Students also can enjoy free admission to the Furman Aquatic Center, bingo with celebrity callers and a performance by hypnotist Chris Jones at the Memorial Union. Each night concludes with an outdoor movie on the campanile lawn.
Student affairs staff developed Camp Iowa State this summer and solicited student input on numerous features, including movie titles and celebrity bingo callers. The alcohol- and substance-free activities are designed to help reduce high-risk behaviors associated with the weekend before fall semester begins.
