Purdue News

August 6, 1999 Purdue's WL campus ready to welcome, orient students WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University's West Lafayette campus is preparing to welcome enough students to fill a small city later this month. Many first-year students will start arriving Sunday, Aug. 15, for Boiler Gold Rush orientation activities, but most students are anticipated to move into the residence halls Aug. 20. Classes will begin the following Monday, Aug. 23. More than 37,000 students are expected this fall at the West Lafayette campus. Last year 36,878 were enrolled. The first day of classes at other Purdue campuses are: Monday, Aug. 23, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne and Purdue North Central; Wednesday, Aug. 25, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis; and Thursday, Aug. 26, Purdue Calumet. In response to the road construction and parking limitations near campus, Purdue is paying CityBus of Greater Lafayette to allow all Purdue students free passage on all campus routes, which were recently expanded and upgraded. Students need only to show their Purdue identification card to ride. CityBus serves all of Lafayette, West Lafayette and Purdue, and extends into Tippecanoe County, reaching places such as Tippecanoe Mall, Klondike Road, and Indiana 26 East and I-65. Also, to provide travelers with up-to-date road information, Purdue has created a Web site, Travel Alert, off the Purdue home page. About 2,700 incoming freshmen are registered for the optional Boiler Gold Rush program, starting Aug. 15. The program is designed to familiarize new students with the campus and Purdue traditions. They'll hear Harlan Cohen, a syndicated advice columnist, who will talk about healthy lifestyles for young adults. The first-year students also will learn about Purdue's athletics and traditions during a session in Ross-Ade Stadium. Other Boiler Gold Rush highlights include Unionfest in the Purdue Memorial Union on Monday, Aug. 16; a community business fair and Late Night at Recreational Sports Center on Tuesday, Aug. 17; a scavenger hunt and a student organizations fair on Wednesday, Aug. 18; and Go West activities at the Purdue West shopping center starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, featuring live music and a 500-foot banana split. Students not participating in Boiler Gold Rush can move into university residence halls starting Aug. 15, but will have to pay a daily $32.50 room and board fee or a $14.50 room-only rate for each day before Friday, Aug. 20, when regular housing contracts start. On Aug. 20, staff and returning students in each hall will be available to direct new students and parents to the students' rooms and to serve refreshments. Most buildings will have 20-minute unloading zones. Parking will be allowed on the lot just west of Fowler House and the lot north of Ross-Ade Stadium. Additional information about the move-in process is available at housing and food service Web site. The Office of Admissions will sponsor a welcoming parade at 6:10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, from the Windsor Residence Halls to Hovde Hall. The parade will feature Purdue's "All-American" Marching Band, the Boilermaker Special and Purdue Pete. After the parade, students and their parents will attend the President's Gala to Welcome New Students at 7 p.m. in the Elliott Hall of Music. Purdue President Steven C. Beering will be the keynote speaker. Most undergraduate schools will conduct orientation programs at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22. Schools and locations are: Consumer and Family Sciences, Room 224, Class of 50 Lecture Hall. Education, Room 129, Electrical Engineering Building. School of Health Sciences (excluding prepharmacy), Room 112, Physics Building. Prepharmacy, Room 114, Physics Building Liberal Arts, main floor, Liberal Arts and Education Building. Management, Drawing Room, Krannert Building. Science, Elliott Hall of Music. Technology, Knoy Hall Lobby, 3 p.m. Undergraduate Studies, Room 302, Stewart Center. Other orientation activities include: Older student orientation, 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, Seattle Beanery, Purdue West Shopping Center. "Recreational Sports Spectacular," an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, at the Recreational Sports Center to show students the variety of activities available at the facility. School of Agriculture Ice Cream Social, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences Lawn. Black Cultural Center Boilerfest, 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third St. This open house for new students will feature food, music and information about the new $3 million facility. Main Event and Activities Carnival sponsored by the Purdue Student Union Board, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27, Purdue Memorial Union and Stewart Center. More than 100 student organizations will have displays and information booths at the outdoor activities carnival during the day, and a variety of entertainment will be presented. Freshman Engineering Picnic, 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, Vawter Field, east of the Recreational Sports Center. Adaptive Programs, a division of the Office of the Dean of Students, will conduct workshops for students with disabilities at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 30, and 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31. Both workshops will be at Student Services Annex 1. Pharmacy Freshmen First Nighter, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, east side of Heine Pharmacy Building. Sources: Kristen Pavelka, Boiler Gold Rush interim coordinator, (765) 494-1272; kp@purdue.edu Storie Preo, Office of Admissions, (765) 496-6535; sdpreo@adms.purdue.edu Lisa Tetzloff, director of residence life, (765) 494-1000; lmt@purdue.edu Writer: J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page