{"636567":{"#nid":"636567","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Welcoming First-years Early and Safely","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the decision was made last fall to shift the date of First-Year move-in up a week, organizers had no idea how necessary the extra time and space created would be. With plans now to operate under strict social distancing measures, the Department of Housing \u0026amp; Residence Life and its partners are working to provide a \u0026ldquo;week of welcome\u0026rdquo; that will allow incoming students to explore and connect to their new campus home despite the unprecedented circumstances.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAugust 8 through 16 was to be the first to see students move in a week earlier than in years previous, allowing students to build greater familiarity with the campus and a stronger sense of community with a full week of programming and events before classes begin. Now those extra days are proving critical for spacing out the move-in process and adapting other traditionally high-volume activities to maintain social distance.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing move-in on August 8 and 9, the week will include virtual and in-person workshops and events from FASET, Campus Services, Student Engagement, and other campus partners to introduce students to resources and traditions while building community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDespite the absence of large scale and in-person events like the involvement fairs and spirit festivals typically associated with weeks of welcome, the team of departments has still found ways for students to get to know their hallmates, the campus, and the resources available to them.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Given the new campus partner collaboration for programming,\u0026nbsp;Week of Welcome was already going to be a big shift from previous move-in experiences,\u0026rdquo; said new Housing Executive Director Jenny Cotton. \u0026ldquo;The need to adjust our plans for safety is even more possible within this new model. Our partners are working to find creative ways to still provide as rich and robust of an experience as these distanced times allow.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMany in-person programs will be self-guided or in small groups that will allow students the flexibility to go at their own pace, while other elements will be virtual to limit contact. Plans for large events that can be done at a social distance, such as an outdoor movie screening, are being carefully worked out. In recognition of the still-evolving state of campus operations during the pandemic, organizers note that many aspects of the week are still subject to change in the interest of the safety of the campus community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve learned through our on-campus resident surveys that some students are craving more connection and community building and need more time to engage with resources to support their time at Georgia Tech,\u0026rdquo; said Associate Vice President for Campus Services Kasey Helton. \u0026ldquo;With an opportunity to interact with all of our on-campus services both in person and virtually, participate in job and student organization fairs, learn campus traditions, and interact with their peers and support systems all before classes begin, we believe first-years will have a stronger foundation to set themselves up for academic success.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about Week of Welcome at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/welcomehome.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewelcomehome.gatech.edu.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGet Involved with Week of Welcome\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you are interested in offering a virtual or in-person open-house, information session, or event during the Week of Welcome, or are interested in volunteering for first-year move-in August 8 and 9, please \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_3dzCdz45jKZ3P7L\u0022\u003Efill out this form\u003C\/a\u003E or email weekofwelcome@gatech.edu.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMove-in Focus on Safety\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeek of Welcome begins with first-year move-in on August 8 and 9. Details on the process are being finalized now to maximize safety when the expected 3,000 residents arrive on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EStudents will have an assigned move-in time and appointments for move-in will be widely spaced out to allow Housing to limit the number of people in one space at any given time.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThere will also be a drive-through check-in process that will minimize contact and touchpoints.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESanitizing\u0026nbsp;stations and enhanced surface area cleaning will also be incorporated into this year\u0026rsquo;s move-in process.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EVolunteers will be present to assist and will be wearing masks.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents who are planning to move in can find details\u0026nbsp;at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/housing.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ehousing.gatech.edu.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Housing \u0026 Residence Life\u2019s Inaugural \u201cWeek of Welcome\u201d Adapts to Connect New Students Despite Distance"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAugust 8-16 is the inaugural Week of Welcome where first-year students can explore and connect to their new campus home despite the unprecedented circumstances. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"August 8-16 is the inaugural Week of Welcome where first-year students can explore and connect to their new campus home despite the unprecedented circumstances.  "}],"uid":"35011","created_gmt":"2020-06-26 18:39:27","changed_gmt":"2020-07-06 22:08:05","author":"Morgan Miller","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636568":{"id":"636568","type":"image","title":"Week of Welcome","body":null,"created":"1593198692","gmt_created":"2020-06-26 19:11:32","changed":"1594064409","gmt_changed":"2020-07-06 19:40:09","alt":"Image of Atlanta skyline with Week of Welcome text above.","file":{"fid":"242184","name":"WOW_16_9_Graphic_WebFinal.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/WOW_16_9_Graphic_WebFinal.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/WOW_16_9_Graphic_WebFinal.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1561611,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/WOW_16_9_Graphic_WebFinal.png?itok=cRjPCjCY"}}},"media_ids":["636568"],"groups":[{"id":"1294","name":"Auxiliary Services"},{"id":"499601","name":"Campus Services"},{"id":"428961","name":"Health and Well-Being"},{"id":"462651","name":"Housing"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"22501","name":"Department of Housing"},{"id":"173332","name":"Division of Student Life"},{"id":"10257","name":"campus services"},{"id":"185203","name":"week of welcome"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMorgan Miller\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Eweekofwelcome@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["weekofwelcome@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}