Wildcat Welcome at Chico State returns as a much-anticipated kick-off to the Spring 2026 semester, offering a variety of events and opportunities for student involvement to connect with campus resources and communities of like-minded peers, from Jan. 20 to Feb. 9.

Chico State’s Student Life and Leadership Team organizes Wildcat Welcome. SOLE Coordinator Tina Romo explained that the purpose of the event is to welcome new and returning students to the Wildcat family. 

In the spring, Chico State sponsors over 30 events from the seven colleges and welcomes events like the Wildcat Resource Fair and Clubtacular. Wildcat Welcome is an entire campus initiative where every office on campus plays a role in supporting Chico State students.

“We hope that students see through Wildcat Welcome that we have a culture of supporting each other and providing opportunities to better their experience here at Chico State,” Romo said.

What makes Chico State’s welcome stand out is the variety of opportunities, offering something for each student from the different events. 

The Wildcat Resource Fair is an event where all of the campus resources are displayed outside so students can learn about the different resources Chico State has. Clubtacular is the largest involvement fair that happens each semester, with over 100 Recognized Student Organizations tabling and recruiting new students to join their organizations.

Chico State aims to foster a sense of community for every student through involvement opportunities that reflect a wide range of identities, from multi-cultural, religious and major-specific clubs to club sports and Greek Life. 

As well as offering stand-alone community events as well, monthly fliers are always offering different Hub Happenings which are for all Chico State students, from arts and crafts to karaoke, and movie screenings. 

Tables at The Wildcat Resource Fair are intended to remind students to take advantage of The WREC, The Well and tutoring resources.

Staff and faculty participation is a key part of Wildcat Welcome. 

“Every student-facing department plays a role in Wildcat Welcome, whether it’s by hosting an event or attending events representing their departments during Wildcat Welcome,” Romo said. “This provides students with face-to-face interactions and conversations with the staff and faculty.”

These interactions are meant to help students connect and feel supported, especially those who might be coming into the semester feeling disconnected or overwhelmed, Romo said.

“Over the past five years, we have seen an increase in the types of Wildcat Welcome events as well as the introduction of a Spring Wildcat Welcome,” Romo said. “What started over 10 years ago as a few welcome events has grown into an annual campus tradition.” 

Beyond Wildcat Welcome, Romo hopes students know that there is always something going on for them to get involved in during their time at Chico State, and Wildcat Welcome is just the beginning of that.

Lucy Bakowski can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].