By: Amanda Clarke
Staff Writer

For Western’s New Student Week (NSW), which took place Sept. 20-26, first-year students were invited to walk the red carpet and learn more about WOU’s campus and their fellow students.

The theme of this year’s NSW was “HollyWOUd: Lights, Camera, Take Action!” Freshmen had the opportunity to learn more about Western through a variety of events held during the week.

Austin Davis, Peer Leaders Understanding Students (PLUS) Team Member and a sophomore Criminal Justice major, said that the theme for NSW was selected after vigorous brainstorming by the whole PLUS Team.

“There was so much you can do with this theme,” Davis said, “the theme we chose was very inclusive, we didn’t leave anyone out.”

The PLUS Team at WOU helps new students during registration, Summer Orientation Advising and Registration and NSW in order to ensure students feel more comfortable about starting college life.

Peer Mentors and PLUS Team members work together in order to help first-year students get to know one another. Freshmen were required to attend several events to teach them more about Western’s campus.

There were multiple hour-long sessions which helped students learn how to write essays, use DegreeWorks, and become certified in Leadership, as well as other events that involved other subject areas.

Some events promoted student bonding and teamwork, such as volleyball and capture the flag. There were also excursions to Portland and Lincoln City on Saturday.

Julianna Deckter, a freshman accounting major, said that the events on campus “have been fun. They’ve been very lively, and inclusive, and just fun in general.”

Students were also able to learn more about various clubs, job opportunities, and local businesses through several large-scale events, including the Welcome to Monmouth/Independence Fair in the Grove on Sept. 23.

The fair offered a wide range of free merchandise for students to take home including bags, posters, live goldfish, and food.

Allie Highberg, a first-year elementary education major, said, “I have really liked pretty much everything that we’ve done. All of the meetings we’ve had were fun and educational.”

Highberg also stated that she learned something new every time she attended events, of which there was a wide-variety.

Students also had a chance to sign their names on the sidewalk between the Grove and the Old PE building in Western’s colors: red, white, and black.

“It seemed like everybody so far has been very friendly, and I hope it impacts them to be more social and connect more,” Davis added. He said the week went well.

Some of the keynote events of the week included the Dating Doctor, David Coleman, a hypnotist, and the Variety Show, which took place on Saturday evening.

On the back of the New Student Session Booklets that were handed out, students were able to fill out a “VIP Pass” in order to have a chance to win a prize. Prizes included WOU swag, a TV, an iPad Mini, a GoPro, and a gift card to the campus bookstore.

The acts at the Variety Show included multiple dancers, an electric guitar performance, several comedy groups, a monologue from “Laughing Wild,” and a piano/voice performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

The PLUS Team also put together a video of the various events that occurred during New Student Week and had an additional dance performance that followed. Throughout the Variety Show, drawings were done randomly by a PLUS Team member to announce the winners of the “VIP Pass” prizes.

Deckter said she feels like this year is “going to go easy.” Adding, “I definitely feel like the community is very welcoming and you’ll have support no matter what.”