Soggy spirits? No way. A drenching rain dissolved into a sunny sky, and nothing could dent Denison’s warm welcome to the Class of 2027.
Cars, trucks, and vans full of families and first-years summited the main drive to raucous cheers. Denison staff and members of athletics teams helped haul suitcases, boxes, and bags into future comfort zones.
Families and students unpacked, made beds, and walked the campus. They located classrooms, stopped by outdoor information booths, and enjoyed a family meal together before the Induction Ceremony, Denison’s official inauguration of the Class of 2027.
Faculty donned academic robes and lined Chapel Walk, applauding the Denisonians as they paraded onto the common, overlooking a view of the Welsh HIlls that would soon become as familiar to them as their own home town.
An hour later, after welcome speeches and a charge from President Weinberg, families and their students laughed, shed a few tears, and grabbed last hugs as they parted for the time being (at least until Big Red Weekend at the end of September).
Parents and families headed home, and students turned toward their new adventure — four years of building foundational friendships and surmounting academic challenges by faculty mentors, four years of invigorating competition in varsity and intramural sports and thrilling moments on stages and in studios, and four years of personal growth, discovery, and preparation for the lifetimes ahead of them.
Welcome, Denison Class of 2027!
