Alexandra Mosquera Netzkarsch / BBC Managing Editor
The first week of the fall semester will start off with the Week of Welcome and this includes a variety of events offering free food and giveaways. Campus Life planned an event for each day of the week. These events will serve as group building exercises and will give new students a sense of the FIU community they will now be a part of. To kickoff this eventful week, on Monday, a barbeque will take place in Panther Square to welcome all new and returning students. There will be burgers and vegetarian options upon request. There will be t-shirts and other giveaways during this event. On Tuesday morning, the traditional Blue & Gold Breakfast will take place in Panther Square with a visit from the university’s president, Mark B. Rosenberg.
“My favorite part of WoW is when I can interact with students in a more relaxed environment such as the Blue and Gold Breakfast,” said Sanjay Dhawan, senior academic advisor at the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Rosenberg will also be a part of the 8th Restaurant and Business Fair that will take place in the WUC Ballrooms on Wednesday. This event will not only be open to the community but will give students the opportunity to get a taste of different dishes from a variety of restaurants that are available around campus. According to Andres Bermeo, the account manager of Campus Life, this is “one of the most popular events at BBC”.
“For this year’s Restaurant and Business Fair we decided to focus more on quality than quantity, as opposed to other years,” he said. “Students had complained about businesses not being relevant, so we took that feedback into account and adjusted the list of this year’s restaurants and businesses to be within the interest of our student groups.”
He also confirmed that during the Luau, taking place on Thursday, there will be live music and interactive performances by Polynesian/Hawaiian dancers, Polynesian-inspired lunches, as well as a photo booth and giveaways for guests.
“We saved the most expensive giveaway of the year for this event,” said Bermeo. Marie Samba, a senior majoring in business education, believes that the best part of WoW are the performances, where students get to interact with the dancers and are brought up on stage.
“Events in which the entire FIU community is present and is able to participate are the ones that make WoW special,” said Samba.
For Friday’s event, the spirit council in Campus Life organized the Panther Power Hour in Panther Square to boost school spirit among students. This event will include FIU trivia and giveaways for attendees. The council encourages students to wear FIU gear to help promote panther pride. As part of the spirit council, Marketing Coordinator Michael Aquino said, “What better way to end the week than with this event on Friday?” The Wellness and Recreation Center has also organized the Try a Triathlon, an event to finalize the first week back in school with a free workout open to every student, which will take place at the BBC pool deck.
Vinson Pressley, a senior psychology major thinks that the Restaurant and Business Fair is the best part of WoW because it gives students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the restaurants and places of business around BBC.
“It can be intimidating to try out new restaurants without knowing anything about them,” he said. “This fair gives students the chance to know more about them and even get a taste of their food.” Students are in for a first week of school full of different kinds of entertainment. Have a great week Panthers!