Rice’s newest flock of students moves in Aug. 18

Rice’s newest Owls land on campus Aug. 18 to kick off O-Week, the weeklong orientation program that familiarizes incoming students with their new schools, residential colleges and classmates. O-Week is coordinated by the Office of Student Success Initiatives at Rice.

O-Week welcomes 968 new students to campus this year. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow)

The 968 students in this year’s matriculating class were selected from a pool of 27,087 applicants. Texas is the home state to 378 new students, while 474 members of the incoming Class of 2023 hail from other parts of the country. The class also includes 106 international students. (The final numbers may vary, but these are the statistics as of Aug. 9.)

Move-in day will kick off around 7 a.m. Sunday when upperclassmen greet the new arrivals and help them move into their residential college rooms. Parents and family members are invited to participate in New Families Orientation, which will include presentations by Rice President David Leebron and other faculty, staff and student representatives as well as information sessions on subjects ranging from academic advising to wellness and college life.

After saying goodbye to their parents, the new students will gather for matriculation at 7 p.m. at Tudor Fieldhouse, where Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman and Student Association President Grace Wickerson will welcome them to their next four years on campus. The freshmen will then make the ceremonial march through the Sallyport into the Academic Quad to mark the official beginning of their college career. Tradition holds that students should not pass through the Sallyport again until they graduate.

Baker College students welcome their new residents.(Photo by Tommy LaVergne)

Activities and presentations throughout the week will introduce new students to the ins and outs of life at Rice by assisting them with class registration, introducing Rice values and policies, hosting small-group discussions and providing opportunities to explore Houston. The new Owls will even get the chance to enjoy traditional Texas cuisine and line dancing during a barbecue dinner at the president’s home Aug. 19.

Other activities scheduled for the week include a pep rally at Tudor Fieldhouse and block parties Aug. 20, the annual Associates’ Dinner parties Aug. 21 and college-specific bonding activities Aug. 22. O-Week will conclude Aug. 24 with the Welcome Back Day Festival in the Central Quad. Fall classes begin Aug. 26.

Students are encouraged to document their O-Week experience online by including #RiceOWeek19 on their social media posts. Rice University’s social media accounts will also be using the hashtag; more information on Rice’s social media accounts is available online at http://socialmedia.blogs.rice.edu/social-media-directory/.