By Svenja van den Woldenberg, Staff Writer

During the first days of Fall 2011 at The University, the class of 2015 was thrown into a whirlwind of events and attractions that upperclassmen could have only dreamed about during previous Welcome Weeks.

The week included activities such as a Tracy Kidder discussion and book signing, mini golf in Axinn Library, a boardwalk in the Student Center, Hofstra’s Got Talent and more.

This year’s Welcome Week was considered a huge success by many students. Welcome Week Coordinator Liz Weeden credits most of the accomplishments not to herself and her colleagues, but to last year’s Welcome Week Coordinators.

“I have to give a huge amount of credit to the Welcome Week Coordinators [from] last year, Gennifer Delman, Andreya Shaak and Kaitlin Frisch,” said Weeden, a 20-year-old Public Relations and Global Studies major from the Finger Lakes. “They laid the groundwork for creating a fun and extensive Welcome Week program for first-year students, and this year we tried to build on what they started.”

Weeden worked closely with her fellow Welcome Week Coordinators, Francis Humes, Kaitlin Frisch and Dennis Foley.

“Even though I was [only] a junior, I feel like I was prepared for some of the things Welcome Week threw at me,” Weeden said. “I’m one of the coordinators for Destination Runway, the charity fashion show Student Government Association hosts every year. It’s funny that a fashion show prepared me for a coordinator position in the Welcome Week program, but it’s the truth!”

In addition to Weeden, two other Welcome Week coordinators were rising juniors.

“They all were excellent at the position they were chosen for,” said Sarah Young, Executive Director for the Office of Student Leadership and Activities, who assisted the Welcome Week Coordinators. “This year’s success can be attributed to our outstanding Welcome Week Coordinators and their planning, implementation and excitement around this year’s Welcome Week.”    

Joining the Welcome Week Coordinators were 80 Welcome Week Leaders, students who volunteered their time to make sure new students felt comfortable.

“I wish I was a freshman this year,” said Jimmy Sia, a junior and a Welcome Week Leader. “I would have loved to mini-golf my way through Axinn.”

Christopher Botti, Assistant Director for the Office of Student Leadership and Activities, also helped the four students plan the activities for the week.

The students’ planning for Welcome Week began last May. However, the Office of Student Leadership uses a full year to plan each Welcome Week.

“Welcome Week started as a few ideas jotted down on a notepad,” said Weeden, “but hopefully became the beginning of an amazing college experience for more than 1600 new students.”

David Mecca and friends start week one at Hofstra competing in the “Axinn Open” Welcome Week event. (Ben Suazo/The Chronicle)