As Denison families and their first-year students rolled onto campus Wednesday morning, they were greeted with pompom-waving staff and students, blue skies, and brisk morning temperatures. It was a perfect day for moving into their new homes on The Hill.
Precision scheduling and moving services provided by members of the Big Red football team ensured suitcases and boxes were deposited in their appointed rooms in record time. That left the rest of the morning to run to local big box stores for last-minute items, stroll the campus sidewalks, and check out the Resource Fair before heading to lunch in the dining halls or exploring downtown Granville.
At the Induction Ceremony that evening, faculty performed Fanfare for the Class of 2028, composed for the entering class by music professor Ching-chu Hu. Families gathered on Reese~Shackleford Common, cheering as their students entered the wisteria-bordered oval through lines of applauding faculty in their academic robes.
Denisonians from across campus welcomed them, including Denison Campus Governance Association president Noah Chartier ’25, vice president for Student Life Ricardo Hall, and associate math professor and faculty chair May Mei. President Adam Weinberg formally welcomed first-years as the newest members of the Denison family and charged them to make the most of this life-shaping time.
Families and students enjoyed bear hugs and sweet goodbyes over dessert in Slayter Union and said farewell — at least until Family Weekend on Sept. 27.
Welcome, Class of 2028!
A new Denison tradition: Off-campus orientations for everyone
The Class of 2028 is inaugurating something new at Denison. They’ll spend their first weekend as Denisonians building friendships with new classmates as they travel off campus on one of 17 different orientation trips.
In the past, a limited number of these off-campus experiences were available to first-year students for a fee. When it became evident these students had stronger bonds with their classmates, making the transition to campus life easier, Denison committed the resources to assure that every first-year student could participate in these three-day adventures, free of charge.
A wide array of options, from whitewater rafting in West Virginia to making alumni connections and attending a baseball game in Cleveland, give first-year students opportunities to have fun and make friends away from the distraction of exploring their new campus home. “All the trips are theme-based — whether it’s a hobby or a cause — so you’re immediately connecting with people who share similar interests,” said Nathan Graves, director of orientation and first-year experience.
Quoting President Weinberg, Graves said, “We’re an institution that’s big on relationships and experiences. And these trips are at the heart of that message.”
Denison’s Week of Welcome
Move-in day and Induction mark the beginning of a jam-packed week of welcome for Denison first-year students, designed for them to get to know one another and the campus before classes begin. While the focus is on academic advising sessions, campus tours, and opportunities to get acquainted with wellness and academic programs and resources, a lot of fun is built in, too. Memorable moments include:
- The First Year Sizzle with a DJ spinning tunes and spattering the crowd with paint, and a glow-in-the-dark snack bar lighting up the night.
- Open karoke night at the Bandersnatch
- Battle of the Res Halls
- Late-night breakfasts at Slayter
- Fun and games at the Mitchell Center Rec Night
- An involvement fair introducing first-years to many of the more than 160 student organizations
- A community cookout with super games and fireworks
