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Convocation and Fall Fest are Tuesday. Classes start on Wednesday.
But on Monday — the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. — Northeastern University students on the Boston campus took one last opportunity to pick up supplies, meet up with friends, and enjoy the spectacular late-summer weather.
“All my friends are here — it’s nice to be able to see them again,” said Ellery Nistler, a second-year student who was waiting to meet up with classmates outside West Village on Monday morning.
Graduate student Yucheng Liu, meanwhile, was settling into life in Boston after having moved from China just last week.
“The weather is cooler than at home, and I’m trying to get used to the food,” Liu said, laughing.
He was also trying to get used to navigating campus after getting his Husky Card.
“The university is quite a bit larger than my (undergraduate) college campus,” Liu said.
With residence halls mostly filled up — and those living off campus settled into their apartments — students awoke to a beautiful sunny day on Monday with Boston buzzing with activity.
On Tuesday, President Joseph E. Aoun will address students on the Boston campus during an 11 a.m. ceremony at Matthews Arena.
In London, Ken Henderson, the chancellor and senior vice president for learning, will welcome students at 11:30 a.m. BST. And in Oakland, David Madigan, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, will do the same at 7:30 p.m. PDT.
Monday, however, was all about fun and games — literally.
Everyone had been looking forward to the start of Welcome Week.
On Krentzman Quad, piles of Jenga blocks lay on the grass, beanbags thumped against cornhole boards, big Connect 4 games were in position and a DJ spun tunes and reminded students to pick up wristbands for the day’s activities.
Those included everything from beach volleyball, to the Northeastern DIY Arts and Games Festival, to a movie night in Blackman Auditorium followed by an LED-lit dance party on Centennial Common.
“Welcome to Northeastern!” the DJ announced.
Meanwhile, about 30 sweaty and tired students ran onto the quad after finishing the morning’s 5k running tour of Boston.
First-year student Yasemin Coutts said that she had only recently arrived from New Jersey and was looking forward to joining a running group as a social activity.
“I’m looking forward to meeting new people,” said Coutts, a business student, as she caught her breath.
Over on Centennial Common, Poorvi Mohanakrishnan carried a few final items from home that her mother Sujatha had delivered — items that could not be found during that other rite of passage during move-in … the roommates’ trip to Target.
“We tried to figure out the best time and decided on 5:30 p.m. thinking everyone was at dinner,” Mohanakrishnan said.
They thought wrong.
“There was a crazy line spiraling and doubling back throughout the store, and people kept coming up and looking in our carts and asking where we got things,” Mohanakrishnan continued. “But we ran into a bunch of friends — it was good to see everyone there.”
About 2 p.m. the lawn games migrated to Centennial for the DIY arts festival, along with many students game to test their crafting prowess.
“I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing, I think it’s a giant mosaic,” said first-year student Katie McDonnell, as she painted a panel for a mural adorned with a Husky paw print.
McDonnell praised the university for planning events throughout Welcome Week, saying she was looking forward particularly to Tuesday’s Fall Fest. She and her friends had also explored Boston a little — stopping at Boston Common, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Public Library.
“Stuff has been ramping up this week, which I’m really excited about,” McDonnell said. “I’m really excited for Fall Fest and the rest of Welcome Week.”Across the path, Rayan Rahim sought a slogan to paint onto a small, white rock as part of a “make a rock, take a rock” activity.
“I’m trying to think of something clever,” Rahim, also a first-year student, said. “The best I’ve heard is “you rock” — but I don’t want to copy it.”He eventually settled on “You’re Awesome.”“The welcome events are super helpful to meet people,” Rahim said.
Leah Kleitsch was participating in her first Welcome Week event — tie-dying shirts — after just moving into her residence hall on Monday morning.
She said she was excited to start the school year, and was particularly looking forward to hockey season.
“It’s fun to watch and everyone gets really into it,” Kleitsch said.
And first-year student Beau Knisley beaded a necklace as he similarly praised the Welcome Week events.
“It’s been a great experience to meet new people,” Knisley said. “It seems like it will soon feel like home.”