RIT welcomes first-year students

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A. Sue Weisler

RIT is preparing to welcome an estimated 2,775 to 2,800 freshmen on Aug. 20.

Rochester Institute of Technology is preparing to welcome a record-breaking 2,775 to 2,800 freshmen on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The university also welcomes about 700 transfer students attending in the fall. New students will join RIT as the university moves away from its quarter-based academic calendar and begins semesters.

Students and their families will move into the residence halls, on the east side of campus, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Aug. 20. Parents are invited to stay and participate in some of Tuesday’s orientation activities, including the RIT Resource Fair in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center.

Students and their families will officially open the academic year during convocation at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 21 in the Gordon Field House. The students will process during the annual Tiger Walk ceremony at 3 p.m., where faculty and staff line the walkway leading into the Field House to cheer and welcome them.

The Convocation for New Students and Families features an academic procession; recognition of faculty; and welcoming remarks by RIT President Bill Destler, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Jeremy Haefner, Interim Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Heath Boice-Pardee, and RIT Student Government President Paul Darragh. Todd Pagano, associate professor and director of Laboratory Science Technology, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and a recipient of the 2012-2013 Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award and 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year Award, will serve as keynote speaker.

In support of the university’s sustainability initiative, the New Student Picnic and Carnival will be zero waste, with compostable plates and serving ware, as well as composted food waste. Also new to orientation this year, students will learn about Title IX, sexual assault, sexual harassment, healthy relationships and consent.

“All incoming students are required to take an online course before arrival called ‘Think About It’ and they can discuss the topics even further in small groups during orientation,” says Shawna Lusk, director of New Student Orientation.

RIT’s first day of classes and semesters is Monday, Aug. 26. For more information on this year visit the RIT New Student Orientation.