Students gathered the week before classes started to celebrate being back in Chico. Wildcat Welcome Week is popular for many different reasons; returning students coming back to continue their studies, an influx of incoming students starting their new journey at Chico State.

“My favorite memory from welcome week was move-in,” said first-year Sydney Silver. “It was fun meeting everybody on the floor and I loved how friendly everybody was.”

Another first-year Lexie Rivera enjoyed the local Thursday Night Market the most, where many student experienced their first Thursday Night Market with their free food voucher.

Other activities that were put on by Chico State this week were; The Big “C” Welcome, Rock the Block, WREC‘n Wild, Moonlight Movie and to finish out the weekend a Sunday Sundae. All these events are free to every Chico State Student.

For many first-years this is their first time living in Chico, but for returning students Chico is there home away from home. These students are already familiar with Chico, and what welcome week entails.

Students are celebrating being back in Chico, and the start of a new school year. In a campus wide email sent out the University PD is already taking caution about welcome week festivities.

“Large parties frequently get out of hand and result in police intervention and unsafe situations for our students,” said University Police Chief John Feeney. “In other words, students have been assaulted, and students have been arrested, at these gatherings.”

This Friday a local group College Party Scene is hosting The Campus Comeback, a welcoming party for first-years and returning students. To promote inclusivity the show is 17 and over, according to the Facebook event page.

Campus will be home to many more activities during the weeks to come such as:

• Meet the Greeks
• Hypnotist Show
• Boba Bingo Night
• Thursday Night Market

There will also be a job fair to help students find a job on and off campus.

As classes begin on Monday welcome week comes to and end for students, but the fun does not stop there. Chico State’s website has a full list of upcoming activities that are happening for the next few weeks.

Amber Martin can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.