FAQ – New Student Orientation
1. What do parents wear for Orientation weekend – is there are dress code?
The perfect clothing for Orientation is casual and comfortable – you will be lending a helping hand to lug in your student’s belongings and you are going to be wandering all over campus as your student adjusts to this new home. You’ll be carrying boxes up stairs, standing around talking to other parents, sitting in lecture halls, perhaps shopping for those few forgotten items, even eating outside on one of our quads – so be comfortable and stay cool!!!
2. What is this Fred Meyer Night we read about in our student’s itinerary?
Fred Meyer is a very large store (somewhat similar to Costco but retail) and it will be open to ONLY Gonzaga students and family members on the Friday night of Orientation between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am (yes, these hours are correct – it is not a typo). Fred Meyer has lots of clothing, bedding, appliances, household items, groceries – and there will be loud music, prizes, and many special prices. The aisles will be jammed with students (yes, even our upper class students take advantage of this shopping bonanza) and parents searching for those items that might have been forgotten at home or just too bulky to fit into the family car. There will even be a shuttle bus available.
3. Can I pick up my student’s ID card?
No – your student must do this. US Bank will have a tent out on the main quad and they will be distributing the Gonzaga student ID cards. This should be your student’s first stop after receiving their student itinerary packet on the main steps of Crosby Student Center of the Friday of Orientation.
4. Can I make a change in my student’s class schedule?
No – this must be done by the student – though you are welcome to accompany your student to the Office of Academic Advising and Assistance in College Hall 104 while s/he makes the necessary change. This office will be open on Friday from 9:00 am to Noon and 12:30 pm to 3:00 and on Saturday from 8:00 am to Noon. You can have the opportunity of meeting the staff of Academic Advising and Assistance as they offer “Academic Success 101” during the Parent Orientation Session between 2:00 and 4:00 pm in Jepson.
5. After helping to move my student in, what do parents do during the rest of the weekend?
While your student is picking up that all-important Gonzaga ID card in the main quad (see question #3), you should check out the Parent Information Tent – you can pick up your copy of the Parent Itinerary (printed on a different color paper so as not to be confused with the Student Itinerary)
6. If we’re not Catholic, can we still attend the Welcome Mass?
Absolutely and one of the reasons that this is such a wonderful way to begin your student’s undergraduate career is that it is also the way we celebrate the end of their four years at Gonzaga – with the Baccalaureate Mass held during the Commencement weekend. The Gonzaga Welcome Mass is held in St. Aloysius Church on the Sunday of Orientation at 1:00 pm and every one of every faith tradition is invited to attend. You are not required to take Communion at the Mass; you may, if you wish, come forward and receive a blessing by simply placing your right hand over your heart. There have been more than a couple of tears shed at the Welcome Mass (as also happens at the Baccalaureate Mass) as parents are expected to depart shortly after the Mass is over.
7. Do parents have to attend everything on their itinerary?
We hope that the schedule for the Orientation weekend has a terrific balance of interesting, helpfull, and fun events but you are certainly allowed to deviate from the plan. Read through your Parent Itinerary carefully and we hope to see you throughout the weekend all over the Gonzaga campus. Students have a lesser degree of flexibility. There will be some events on their schedule that are mandatory and will be marked as such but everything on both parent and student itineraries has been created to make Orientation a memorable and worthwhile weekend.
8. Where will our student be spending the Friday and Saturday nights of Orientation – with us at our hotel or in their residence hall?
We recommend that all of our new students plan on moving into their college room beginning that Friday evening. There will be a number of activities planned for each residence hall during the evening and this gives our new students the opportunity to get to know their roommate and other members of their hall and allows them to begin to form those friendships that will last a lifetime.