Between UCLA students moving back into the dorms this week, and classes for fall quarter beginning the following Thursday, Sept. 27, there is a smorgasbord of activities, including a Guinness World Record attempt, the annual Bruin Bash Concert, the unfailingly massive Enormous Activities Fair, and the 10th Volunteer Day.
It’s all part of the annual True Bruin Welcome, and for the 9,500 or so new first-year and transfer students coming to UCLA this year, it’s a busy week and a half.
Move-in begins Sept. 20. The carefully choreographed process relies on the incoming residents to arrive during assigned timeslots, eased along by staff and volunteers pushing oversized luggage bins and offering directions. Roughly 13,600 new and returning students will live on the Hill this year. They can spend their first few days on campus enjoying movie nights, move-in fairs and sporting events, with a sprinkling of mixers for commuter students, out-of-state and international students, and transfer students. The first weekend back is capped by the This is Bruin Life show, with performances by UCLA students and an official welcome by Chancellor Gene Block, followed by the Westwood Village Block Party just off campus.
Beginning Monday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept. 28 students can choose from a packed schedule of open houses, tours and drop-in hours for most academic departments, a wide array of campus interest groups, and recruitment for Greek life. Monday also includes the midday Bruin Bash Festival and evening Bruin Bash Concert.
Tuesday, students can stretch their civic muscles by registering to vote, then head to a job fair by the Associated Students of UCLA or the Enormous Activities Fair, where they can meet with members from hundreds of UCLA’s more than 1,000 student groups to match almost any niche or interest. An afternoon athletic rally in Pauley Pavilion should get everyone pumped with Bruin spirit.
Wednesday, UCLA will aim to break a Guinness World Record by working to gather 10,000 students to form the number 100, in celebration of UCLA’s upcoming 100th anniversary. If successful, the celebration will also become the new record for most people to shape a number.
Thursday, classes begin, and the Ask Me tents pop up, where students can get quick directions to distant buildings (and the ones staring them in the face). True Bruin Welcome activities continue Thursday and Friday.
Finally, Saturday, Sept. 29, marks the 10th Volunteer Day, a cornerstone of the UCLA experience, when thousands of volunteers will spread across the city to contribute their time to the Los Angeles community. For the first time, Volunteer Day will also be a global day of service, with projects in locations including Namibia, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Minnesota and Hong Kong. Since it began in 2009 as one of the first activities new Bruins participate in, Volunteer Day has included more than 52,000 volunteers working on more than 300 projects across the Los Angeles area, contributing in excess of 300,000 volunteer hours at an estimated value to the community greater than $8 million.
