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At the East Gate entrance to campus, Maddie Geschke ’27 and her cohort were among the first to greet new members of the ���ӽ紫ý family. With a chipper, “Hi! Where are you from?” The cohort quickly oriented them toward check-in points and their new homes.

Cheered on by pom-pom-waving students, families wound their way up The Hill to designated drop-off spots. Car doors and trunks flung open, and clusters of volunteers, including the ���ӽ紫ý women’s cross country team, helped unload all the accouterments of college living: suitcases and stuffed animals, pillows and plants, and countless small treasures to remind them of home.

Many mementos, like a large Skyline Chili clock, proclaimed allegiance to home in practical ways. Others, like a mirrored equestrian helmet, were just plain fun. And some, like an orange velvet armchair, combined comfort with cool vibes.

In Huffman Hall, shared taste sparked one of those first getting-to-know-you conversations.

As Mia Scheetz and her parents were unpacking, her new roommate, Eva Gerber, walked in and exclaimed, “I have the same lamp!”

Just down the hall, Ana McCallister and her roommates, Dov Scheinbach and Emma White, needed teamwork to squeeze McCallister’s armchair into their bedroom. They promptly christened it “Tangerine” after the Led Zeppelin song.

Students and families got to know each other over questions such as “To loft or not to loft?” and “Do you think we can fit three desks on this wall?” as they filled closets, assembled tables, and hung posters.

Many finished early and rested for a moment on the Adirondack chairs thoughtfully placed throughout the First-Year Quad, or enjoyed a stroll through campus on a rare day of cool temperatures in August. Dozens took advantage of special photo ops with balloons and Buzzy.

After last-minute touches to rooms and a quick lunch, everyone assembled on the First-Year Quad for the Resource Fair, where they built connections with each other as well as on- and off-campus organizations.

Strains of ABBA’s “Waterloo” livened the atmosphere, as students got to know each other while waiting to pick up their new ���ӽ紫ý t-shirts. Families talked with representatives from the Academic Resources Center, the Writing Center, and other campus resources, as well as local resources such as the Granville Chamber of Commerce and Licking County Transit.

Participants may not be aware that this is a historic moment for ���ӽ紫ý. The Class of 2029 is inaugurating the First-Year Quad, a residential area for all first-year students. Four residence halls are dedicated to first-year students: Crawford, East, Huffman, and Shepardson.

Vice President of Student Life Ric Hall says the First-Year Quad is a place “where first-year students can build friendships, engage in campus traditions, and develop a sense of belonging from their first day on campus.”

“Our goal is to promote and enhance academic and personal development, and community-building,” said Hall. “The First-Year Quad will provide even more opportunities for event programming, academic support, relationship building, and socializing.”

If the impromptu games of frisbee crisscrossing the crowd and clusters of students walking and chatting across the grassy square between halls were any measure, the First-Year Quad’s debut is a smashing success.

As evening approached, students were shepherded into Swasey Chapel to meet their off-campus orientation leaders, sign their class banner, and line up for the promenade along Chapel Walk to the Induction Ceremony.

Each class has its own banner that represents its place in ���ӽ紫ý’s history. Banners are brought out for special moments on campus, most prominently during the Reunion’s Parade of Classes. Several class banners are hung at the Induction Ceremony to represent the alumni who welcome the newest members of the ���ӽ紫ý family.

As 6 p.m. approached, families gathered on the Reese~Shackelford Common for the ceremony. The Class of 2029 entered the grounds, surrounded by rows of clapping and cheering regalia-clad faculty. The newest ���ӽ紫ý students followed their class banner, held by classmates John Whiting of Granville, Ohio, and Ngoc Phuong Ngan Nguyen of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who represented the geographic range of the class as the students who live nearest and farthest from campus.

After a warm welcome from ���ӽ紫ý President Adam Weinberg, Norah Carter ’26, president of the ���ӽ紫ý Campus Governance Association, greeted the class, saying, “Education — particularly ���ӽ紫ý’s liberal arts education — comes with a duty to avoid apathy.”

Carter shared a story about how she avoids apathy. She and her friends, “good, quirky, liberal arts kids,” gather for “Thursday Philosofries” and chat about philosophy while “munching on some yummy fries.”

Chair of the Faculty and Professor of Biology Rebecca Homan welcomed the class by drawing a “possibly silly” metaphor between students leaving home to enter college and her research subject, salamanders, that leave their pool as they approach adulthood.

Homan acknowledged the comparison grew thin because “the salamander has no guidance, while you have support from a range of people both at ���ӽ紫ý and at home.”

Taking risks isn’t smart for salamanders, “but taking risks is very smart for you — that’s how you grow,” she said. “Please don’t be shy about using this time and the expertise we offer.”

In his concluding remarks, President Weinberg reinforced many of the points he made in his welcome letter, encouraging students to “be engaged with your professors and your classes, and develop a wide range of relationships.”

“Be performance-oriented; expect a lot of yourself and of others, and replace fear of failure and embarrassment with curiosity and openness to trying new things,” he said.

He summarized by saying, ”Show up eager and be deeply engaged across campus. Don’t be surprised when something is hard. ���ӽ紫ý is meant to be challenging. Fail forward and ask for help when you need it. Be curious about everyone and everything. Create your own ���ӽ紫ý experience.”

With his final words to the crowd, President Weinberg formally inducted the Class of 2029 into the ���ӽ紫ý family.

As the platform party and faculty recessed to the strains of the Fanfare for the Class of 2029, a new composition by Professor Ching-chu Hu that, according to tradition, students and their families will hear again in four years at their commencement ceremony, students reunited with families before leaving for an evening of activities with their orientation groups. Next stop was another ���ӽ紫ý tradition, the Sizzle — music, dancing, and socializing on the Academic Quad.

Many families were departing that evening or early the next day. “He’s my last one at home,” Denise Robles from West Chester, New York, said of her son, Donte.

Maleah Miller from Conyers, Georgia, ran up to give mom Michele, dad Willie, and older sister Jaelyn a final hug. The Miller family was heading home, a 10-hour drive, first thing in the morning.

Wiping away tears, Michele Miller said, “I’m so happy for her — so proud of and confident in her — and I hope she feels the same things for herself.”

“I’m very at ease, not only because of what I see here, but because I know her. She’s not going to waste this time.”

Before stepping into their first classrooms on Thursday, Aug. 28, the Class of 2029 will spend the next week getting to know each other and the campus, beginning with a special dinner on the First-Year Quad, hosted by President Weinberg, and a surprise ���ӽ紫ý sweatshirt giveaway for everyone.

A small sampling of Welcome to ���ӽ紫ý events before students pack their bags for off-campus orientations includes midnight movies, games at the Mitchell Center, and the Battle of the Residence Halls.

The orchestrations involved in moving even one room of furniture can be daunting. When you’re bringing more than 600 students to campus, organization is the name of the game. Some numbers behind the magic of Move-in Day:

• 600+ move-in appointments
• 130+ volunteers from across the college
• 72 Off-campus Orientation Leaders
• 65 Community Advisors
• 50 First-year Fellows
• Countless hours cleaning and preparing rooms, and beautifying the campus by our dedicated facilities staff
• 25 refrigerators carried, 92 flights of stairs climbed, and 17,621 steps taken by move-in helper Caden Hazelton ’27
• 15-minute intervals to park and unload
• 9 golf carts
• 2 First-Year Experience staff (our heroes!) — Andrew McNutt, Assistant Director of First-Year Experience, and Kate Tull, Associate Director of Orientation & First Year Program
• 1 Buzzy