by G. Corey Farris
To the Morgantown community,
A new fall semester is beginning at West Virginia University, an exciting time for our campus and the entire community as thousands of young people begin to settle in and make our home their home.
Welcome Week started Thursday and continues through this week. Classes begin Wednesday.
We are thankful for the understanding we’re seeing from so many of you as we work to move in our students at residence halls and elsewhere. University Police officers have been out along with event and security staff to keep traffic moving throughout the move-in process.
As always, our goal is to welcome our students with limited disruptions, when and where possible, to daily life in Morgantown and surrounding areas.
These first few days in August are critical to setting the tone for our students’ overall experiences at WVU and those of us who are year-round residents play big roles in that.
How can you help? When you see students and their families, a smile and wave with a quick “Welcome to Morgantown!” goes a long way. It reminds students that together we make up a great community.
Be aware that there are many students who are new to Morgantown and are finding their way around for the first time — whether traveling by car, bus, PRT or on foot. Extra caution may be needed in busy pedestrian areas.
Overall, Welcome Week is designed to provide a mix of activities for students with academic, service-related and fun events like cookouts, the Student Organization Fair, Monday Night Lights at Milan Puskar Stadium, Adventure WV opportunities and much more.
FallFest, the university’s annual Welcome Week concert, will be from 6-10 p.m. Tuesday on the Evansdale area of campus. FoodFest begins earlier in the same location.
Expect traffic near the Evansdale Fields late into the evening Tuesday. Among our students, this is one of our most anticipated Welcome Week events. We appreciate the understanding of residents throughout the Evansdale and Suncrest neighborhoods who may hear music from our scheduled performers.
More information about Welcome Week is available at wvu.edu/events/welcomeweek.
As we begin a new academic year, the university remains a strong partner and neighbor. We are eager to work with all of you at the local, county and state levels to ensure the greater Morgantown area is a wonderful, welcoming place to live, work, visit, learn, grow and raise a family.
Let’s go!
