DeKalb | Welcome Days 2014 used new events, such as the Huskie Family Welcome, and made improvements to old ones to greet and entertain students during their first weekend on campus.

Welcome Days is a week of events held to celebrate the beginning of the academic year and teach students about the opportunities and resources available to them at NIU.

Huskie Family Welcome

The Welcome Days Events Committee began planning in January to make this year’s events different than years past, said Jill Zambito, Welcome Days Committee co-chair. Zambito said the committee added events to get more families involved, including the Huskie Family Welcome Friday at the Convocation Center. During the gathering, NIU President Doug Baker and faculty members welcomed students.

“It’s great that all of the families were able to be involved in” the Huskie Family Welcome, Zambito said.

Events

Zambito said the Glow in the Dark Dance Party is always popular and brought in 2,200 attendees.

“This year, we swiped all of the student’s ID cards at the event, which is why we have such an accurate record,” Zambito said.

An event from SHIFT NIU, a student service for off-campus and non-traditional students, was held at the Holmes Student Center’s Capitol Room Saturday. The event welcomed non-traditional students and gave them information. Junior psychology major Celena Gibson said as a transfer student, she was worried about her transition, but the event made her feel comfortable.

“It was nice to be able to feel connected,” Gibson said. “This event made me feel more of a part of NIU.”

Roy Rosales, SHIFT student assistant and senior electrical engineering major, said Off-campus and Non-traditional Student Services tries to make students feel more included.

“We support commuter students and transfers every day, and we like to have these kind of events to show them that,” Rosales said. “We have to be the ones to show the students that they can be included like the students living on campus.”

Chick Evans Field House

The Residence Hall Association Block Party was held outside in past years, but it was in the Chick Evans Field House this weekend. The block party included two bounce houses, a live deejay, food and giveaways. RHA event assistant Kristen Patenaude said the growth in the event’s popularity was because it was held indoors.

The RHA committee “obviously did a good job of planning it inside,” Patenaude said. “The giveaway items were gone within the first 15 minutes. That just shows how many people were here.”