SUNY Oswego’s Opening Week activities Friday, Aug. 24, to Saturday, Sept. 8, will welcome nearly 2,200 new undergraduate and 350 graduate students to campus while preparing them to make connections and find success.

New student move-in, running 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 24 around campus, will welcome new freshmen and transfers among the 4,400-member residential community. Guided by Red Carpet Crew student volunteers, #ozmovein sees an exciting, intensive time as new students, often joined by family members, set up their new on-campus homes.

Later that day, the annual Welcome Picnic, 5 to 7 p.m. on the Academic Quad, lets the newest Lakers meet each other, as well as faculty and staff.

The 29th annual Welcoming Torchlight Ceremony in the Marano Campus Center convocation hall and arena, with students arriving by 8:30 p.m. before the 9 p.m. ceremony, provides a traditional welcome to join the longstanding line of Oswego students and alumni. The focus moves to fun with the post-torchlight ceremony in the arena and adjacent fields, featuring food, music, games and giveaways.

Other Aug. 24 activities include first-year advisement meetings at 4:30 p.m., while new transfers can attend the simultaneous Transfer Student Meet and Greet, and residence hall floor meetings from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the same time when Commuter Social and Trivia welcomes off-campus students to the mix.

On Saturday, Aug. 25, “Being Healthy at Oswego,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in various locations, provides an opportunity to learn about positive and negative choices affecting health and student journeys at Oswego.

From 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 25, students can choose sports or service. Project Play provides friendly competition among residence halls for the grand trophy and bragging rights, while at the same time other students head off to perform a variety of meaningful community service projects or tasks around the city of Oswego under Project Serve.

From 11:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, graduate students will participate in a Graduate Student Orientation Program, specifically designed to ease their transition to SUNY Oswego. The orientation agenda begins with a tour of the campus and closes with a meet and greet reception in Penfield Library, at which new graduate students will connect with faculty, staff and fellow students.

That evening, a lawn party starting at 6 p.m. in the Academic Quad will feature lawn games like KanJam, ladderball, life-sized Jenga and more, followed by a 7:30 p.m. outdoor movie showing of "Jumanji" on the quad.

Returning students join

Sunday, Aug. 26, will see returning students move back onto campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities will dot the campus throughout the day, including an Oswego Reading Initiative book discussion on Valeria Luiselli’s “Tell Me How It Ends” at 11 a.m. in 114 Marano Campus Center; “Find Your Class” self-guided tour from noon to 3 p.m. among academic buildings; a “Nailing Your First Semester” academic success workshop at 1 p.m. in 132 Marano Campus Center; “How to Talk to Strangers: A Crash Course in Cross-Cultural Communication” at 2 p.m. in Penfield Library’s Room 215; and a Penfield Library Open House from 3 to 5 p.m. 

On the first day of classes, Monday, Aug. 27, motivational magician Brian Miller will show magical (and everyday) ways to connect with others in a session starting at 7 p.m. in Sheldon Hall ballroom.

Tuesday, Aug. 28, will feature shuttles to go bowling at Lighthouse Lanes from 7 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 29, features the signature Student Involvement Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Marano Campus Center arena. Students can learn about joining any of the more than 200 campus organizations as well as learn more about resources and services in the city of Oswego. That evening, students can relax and make new friends at a 7:30 p.m. bonfire at the fire pit west of Mary Walker Health Center.

Thursday, Aug. 30, spotlights the annual College Night at the Oswego Farmers Market on West First Street in downtown Oswego. Shuttles will depart the Marano Campus Center bus loop every 30 minutes from 4:30 through 7:30 p.m. to take students to the popular market. Additional activities that day include “Balancing Choices, Priorities and Deadlines: Formula for Success” at 4 p.m. in the Johnson Hall lounge and a 7:30 p.m. show with comedian Mikey Day at 8 p.m. in Sheldon ballroom.

Activities on Friday, Aug. 31, will included a Greek barbecue with the college’s fraternities and sororities from 3 to 6 p.m. behind Cayuga Hall, men’s soccer hosting Morrisville at 7 p.m. at Laker Turf Stadium and “Ultimate Trivia” at 7 p.m. in the Lake Effect Cafe.

Saturday, Sept. 1, will include such activities as shuttles to check out Oswego’s historic Fort Ontario from noon to 4 p.m. (last departure from campus at 3 p.m.), field hockey vs. Houghton at noon at Laker Turf Stadium and “Bonfires, S’mores and More” at the fire pit west of Mary Walker Health Center.

Offerings on Sunday, Sept. 2, include the women’s tennis team hosting Elmira at noon on Romney Tennis Courts, and Lakeside Yoga at 4 p.m. behind Johnson Hall.

Additional events include a Co-Rec Beach Volleyball Tournament starting at 11 a.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3, at the Glimmerglass Volleyball Courts; a priority management workshop at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, in Penfield Library’s Classroom 101; and the African Student Organization Block Party from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 in Hewitt.