Welcoming Wolverines to campus

University leadership cheered “Go Blue!” and new UM-Dearborn students shouted back “Go Dearborn!” During Wolverine Welcome Day and the Go Blue Bash Block Party, incoming students held up their phones to document all the maize-and-blue that surrounded them on signs and in spirit.

During the daylong university welcome event, Dearborn Wolverines strolled throughout campus to check out more than 150 UM-Dearborn organizations booths. Music played while people enjoyed burgers and hot dogs. And new first-year, transfer and graduate students had the opportunity to make new friends, check out student organizations and meet their professors and staff. Wolverine Welcome Day and Go Blue Bash Block Party, which took place last week, is a fall tradition to get new students familiar with campus and excited about this chapter in their lives.

Interim Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta greeted students at the start of the event by acknowledging both the trepidation and promise that comes with new beginnings.  “I hope you are feeling excited about being here and starting your educational journey with us. If you are feeling a little nervous, it's OK. Look around. Everybody is in your shoes,” she said. “I promise you that over the next week, as you settle into your classes and make new friends, you will slowly start feeling like this is your home, your home away from home — and you will find community.”

Incoming student Courtney Polk said the day symbolized a new chapter in his life. After more than a decade in the Navy, the veteran wants a career in social work to help service members and their families. He chose UM-Dearborn for its 4+1 Health and Human Services and Social Work Program, where students can earn a UM-Dearborn bachelor’s degree and a UM-Ann Arbor Master of Social Work degree in five years. “I’ve seen what people in the military go through and how it affects their children and families,” said Polk, a Detroit resident. “There's a need there and my goal is to take my personal experience and use it in a way to help others. The 4+1 Program here will help me do it on an accelerated timeline. I’m ready to get started.”

Nearly 1,000 students attended the festivities throughout the day. Office of Student Life Program Coordinator Jennifer Kowalczyk said the event demonstrated how the university community comes together for students. “This event showcased what UM-Dearborn has to offer and our university community went all-in with their participation. They wanted students to know that there’s something for everyone because everyone has a place here,” she said. “People across campus — faculty, staff and current students — want to let our new students know what a strong community we are.”

Near the Chancellor’s Pond, returning students greeted the first-year Dearborn Wolverines. Staff handed out free t-shirts, and student organization leaders shared the benefits of becoming members. At the Women in Business student org booth, UM-Dearborn senior Mahhek Rathod answered incoming students’ questions about the professional-focused organization — which is open to any student — and shared information about the events they host at the university like Women Entrepreneurship Week. “When I first came to UM-Dearborn and attended Wolverine Welcome Day, Women in Business stood out for me. I joined and have had a great experience,” said Rathod, an information systems and business analytics double major who is now the WIB president. “I hope somebody I talk with today will say the same thing in a few years."

Each college also hosted interactive activities for the Class of 2029 to get familiar with the people they may see in the halls and classrooms. The College of Education, Health and Human Services featured inflatable games, the College of Business led key-chain making, the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters’ hosted a station for creating and trading friendship bracelets, and the College of Engineering and Computer Science showcased their autonomous vehicle.

As the event concluded, the excitement from the busy day stayed with the new Dearborn Wolverines. Allen Park resident and incoming College of Arts, Sciences and Letters undergraduate Trevor Meyers reflected on the day. He sang the U-M fight song, found the location of his fall classes and chatted with students about study abroad trips he might take and clubs he may join. But, most of all, Meyers ended the day with a feeling of belonging.

“Chancellor Scarlatta mentioned in her speech today that she’s a French professor here. She’s teaching one of my classes in the fall. How cool is that?,” he said. “I think we’re all a little nervous still since this is a big change, but I’m feeling more comfortable. I’ve always been a Michigan fan and there’s something comforting about having all this maize and blue around me.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury. Photos by Matthew Stephens