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Welcome Week, Past and Present

September 14, 2011

Ohio State has been welcoming new Buckeyes to campus for more than 135 years.

Block OSeptember 17 is Founders Day at Ohio State, the anniversary of the university's first day of classes in 1873, when Ohio State welcomed 24 students to campus.

In honor of that day, we're asking all Buckeyes to show their pride by making the Block O their social media profile picture from September 17 through September 25. (Hope Fry, an alumna from South Euclid, Ohio, is the winner of four tickets to the Colorado game, September 24! Congratulations, Hope.)

Welcome Week at Ohio State has gotten a little bigger since 1873. This year, Ohio State will be welcoming nearly 7,000 new freshmen to campus. The theme "Puzzling It All Together" will give students a weeklong introduction to all things Buckeye. Take a look at the full schedule of events and a few Welcome Week traditions:

  • Convocation is the official welcome to Ohio State for first-year students. This is when incoming students become true Buckeyes: They hear from President Gee, faculty, administrators, and student leaders and learn the lyrics to the university's alma mater, Carmen Ohio. At the end of the ceremony, students walk to the Shoe. The next time the Class of 2015 gathers as a group will also be at the Shoe--for commencement.
  • Community Commitment is one of the largest single-day volunteer service projects on a college campus in the nation. Students quickly learn there are hundreds of ways to get involved and stay involved in outreach activities.
  • The Student Involvement Fair welcomes more than 900 Ohio State student organizations and campus departments, businesses, and community agencies to the Oval. From staying green to staying fit, new Buckeyes learn about hundreds of ways to meet friends and cultivate interests.