On Thursday, Aug. 27, the long-awaited moment was here: arrival day for the Bates Class of 2030 and transfer students.
Overnight, our campus transformed from its quiet summer state to the hustle and bustle of the fall semester as new students and their families explored campus and settled in.
Arrival day at Bates is a well-oiled machine, and that’s thanks to the dedicated team of volunteers — students , faculty and staff members alike stepping away from their usual responsibilities — who show up to greet new Batesies and help them acclimate to campus.
From first steps on campus to putting the finishing touches on dorm room decor, here’s a peek inside arrival day at Bates.
Campus preparation
Timothy Kivus, left, the grounds and maintenance lead with Facility Services, and Adam Wright, a ground and maintenace worker, set up banners, filling campus with garnet as new students and families trickle into Lewiston.
The first greeting
When new students step foot on campus for move-in day, the first they see is the sweeping facade of Commons and friendly faces out front, eager to welcome them. In the greeting committee above are, from left, Vice President for Student Affairs Rosanna Ferro and Senior Associate Dean of Students Kim Trauceniek. At right is Vice President for Advancement Eric Foushée, and at center is Bates President Garry W. Jenkins, shaking a new student’s hand.
“Bates students are truly special,” Jenkins told new students and families during his Welcome Address later in the day. “They are smart and accomplished. They are kind and generous, curious and committed. And we recognize all of those qualities in you, and we can’t wait to see the many ways they will reveal themselves over the next four years.”
Directions made easy
Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Tori Neason Wallace (left) and Director of Admission Darryl Uy greet new students and families arriving along Central Avenue.
Equipped with campus maps, Neason Wallace and Uy were two of many Bates staff members who chipped in to make new community members feel welcome. Kate Potter, a senior accountant with the college, volunteered as a residence hall captain, directing student movers and welcoming families at Chu Hall.
“The excitement of the day is just contagious,” Potter said. And, she added, the energy level stayed constant all day. “It’s been fun watching everybody come in and seeing the excitement of the first years. I would highly recommend doing it every year.”
Time to unpack
After picking up their student IDs in commons, first-year students Olivia Arsenault (left) of Falmouth, Mass., and Georgia Gaffney of Lebanon, N.H., head to meet their parents at their residence hall.
“It was really organized,” Gaffney said of the arrival process. “I was really impressed with all the people who were out and making everything easy-access.”
AESOP leaders for the win
Bates student athletes, leaders, and volunteers play a key role in move-in day, greeting families and helping students carry items into their dorm rooms. Among those smiling faces are a slew of leaders from AESOP — Annual Entering Student Orientation Program — who are easy to distinguish by their T-shirts in a range of vibrant colors.
“I met one of my best friends on AESOP,” Rohini Kandasamy ’27 (not pictured) said of her motivation for serving as an AESOP leader this year. “It was super cute, and I wanted to give incoming freshmen the same experience.”
Big Welcome to Small House
Folks from across the college come together to welcome students and families to Small House. In beige are OWLs (Orientation Week Leaders), in pink are student athletes, the students in yellow are AESOP leaders, and Bates staff members are in garnet and white.
OWLs perched to help
Orientation Week Leaders (aka OWLs) carry student belongings into a residence hall, lightening the load for new students and families.
Put ’em in, coach
A student athlete carries bags up residence hall stairs. Student athletes, who arrive to campus early to begin practicing, are eager to offer their muscles and motivation during arrival day.
“Really great energy out here, such a tight-knit community, really positive vibes,” said Alden Yu ’29 of Ridgefield, Conn., a soccer player who helped with move-in at Milliken House. “It’s just been such a great experience to meet our new classmates and help them move.”
Just right…
A new student carefully lines up their wall decor, kneeling atop their bobcat-themed bedding.
Sense of spirit
With clothes hung up and bags unpacked, there’s one thing left to do to complete the dorm room: hang a garnet Bates flag above the doorway.
The “hype squad”
Orientation Week Leaders (OWLs) Cathy Shi ’28 (left) of Sudbury, Mass., and Hazel Glazer ’28 of Pittsford, N.Y., cheer and direct families on the corner of College Street and Alumni Walk. They’re stoking the energy of the day, reaching the “fever pitch,” Shi said.
“I actually was an OWL last year as well, and I really loved getting to know the freshmen and help facilitate a good environment for people that are going through one of the biggest transitions of their life,” Glazer said.
“Even the process of moving is just so streamlined. It impresses me every year,” Glazer added. “The way that there are OWLs and the security officers and the athletes helping out to work together to make sure that this is as easy as possible.”
Time to greet first-year students
Ryan Lynskey ’27 of Cranford, N.J., poses with a copy of the newest Bates Magazine outside of Commons. A member of the football team, Lynskey was excited to spend the day welcoming new students and their families, making sure they “feel the community” at Bates.
“I enjoy seeing the freshmen get to campus,” Lynskey said. “They have so much ahead of them, and they’re always so excited, and it reminds me of myself in certain ways.”
Unpacking Parker
Next to the birch tree-lined Alumni Walk, the yard in front of Parker Hall fills with bags, boxes, and people. Of all the first-year residence halls, Parker welcomed the most new students — about 70 — on arrival day.
Athletes on the move
Bates field hockey players cheer as they walk around campus on arrival day, soaking up the excited energy of the day.
“It’s a good reflection of our community because everybody’s helping,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Alison Montgomery as she walked around campus greeting her student athletes and their families with Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Jackie Luckhardt. “The high energy and for everyone to feel so welcomed is the trademark of Bates.”
Moving parts
Crossing Gillespie Hall’s lawn, students and family carry bags inside.
In addition to the student athletes, OWLs, and AESOP leaders, junior advisors also play a key role in arrival day. JAs are returning students who live in first-year residence halls and serve as peer mentors, aiming to create community among their residents and facilitate a comfortable transition to life at Bates.
The energy on arrival day was “electric,” said Lucy Meeker ’29 of Shepherdstown, W.Va., who was inspired to become a JA by her mom, a residence life professional.
“The number one thing about me is that I love my community, and I love giving back to people that support me,” Meeker said. “I’m from West Virginia, and this really tiny, tiny town where of the utmost importance is taking care of your own. These are my people.”
Pause for some good food
New students and families take a break from the grind of moving in to enjoy the arrival day barbecue in a tent outside of Commons.
New friends
Sitting outside of the barbecue tent, students start to get to know the peers they’ll spend the next four years with.
“I’m super excited,” Georgia Gaffney ’30 said. “I’m really excited to meet all the other girls on the rowing team and just meet new people.”
Welcome Address
Bates President Garry W. Jenkins addresses new students and families during his Welcome Address on the Historic Quad.
“We are so thrilled that you have chosen Bates, so congratulations,” Jenkins said. “And I’ll join my colleagues in saying welcome home. It is so wonderful to have you here at last, fully or maybe almost fully moved into your rooms, ready to launch on this new adventure.”
Gathering on the Quad
New students and their families gather on the Historic Quad for the college’s official “welcome.”
“Most of you will have landed here knowing nobody, but that will change quickly,” President Jenkins said during his address. “And I want you to quickly understand and embrace the notion that the people you connect to, connect with in this new chapter of your life may be different in any number of ways from you, maybe from those you have known up until now.
“And that’s as it should be. Embrace that newness. Find deeper connections with people whose experiences and backgrounds may be different from yours. And I guarantee that you will be enriched by the process.”
Almost time to say goodbye
There is one hard part to the day, when family members have to start saying farewell so that their students can get started on their first orientation sessions, set to begin shortly.
And they’re off!
Just one more goodbye on Alumni Walk, as one of the many golf carts characteristic of arrival day drives past.
“I know that whatever particular set of experiences and feelings and dynamics and worries you may be feeling right now, this is a complicated moment,” Jenkins said to families during his Welcome Address. “It’s filled with complex, incongruent emotions. It can be overwhelming. So I simply advise patience with yourselves, with your student, as you each navigate this new phase of your lives and relationships.
“But it’s exciting. It’s what you’ve worked for. It’s what you dreamed for. I hope that you will take comfort in knowing that we as a college community have the success and wellbeing of each and every student at the center of our work.”
Photography by Theophil Syslo. Text by Alexandra DeMarco.
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