On the week of 16 September we welcomed our new students to Sussex – and what a week we had!
Welcome Week is always a wonderful opportunity for students to dive into university life – meeting new people, learning about campus and beyond and importantly, what it feels like to belong at Sussex.
This year, for the first time, there was a call to action across the University asking staff to get involved with Welcome and Registration activities across campus. We had a great response! Lots of you signed up, and it was brilliant to see people from so many different teams getting involved, welcoming students and supporting colleagues.
Sarah Lord Soares, Head of Student Experiential Services, said: “This Welcome Week 2024 was a fantastic coming together of staff from across the University to welcome our new students, delivering a huge range of brilliant activities and collaborating, for the best student experience. It’s safe to say it was a great success. A huge thank you to everyone who played a part, big or small, in making our new students feel they belong, are welcome here, and for showing them the very best that Sussex has to offer.”
Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from the week.
Student Centre
The Student Centre was buzzing all week, with the collection of Big Read books, student support services such as Welcome support, Careers, Disability Advice, ITS, Housing and Student Finance all in one place, whilst also providing a focus for student registration and information desks for student services. Staff helpers played a great part in helping orientate students and their parents around the building, so thank you!
Wellbeing Tent
The Wellbeing Tent was a hive of creative activity and provided students with a place to relax, socialise, play games and have some quiet time.
Activities included table tennis, Lego, mindfulness colouring, badge and zine making, crochet and workshops on intention setting and navigating ADHD, while spreading the word about ongoing services through the year.
Sustainability activities and getting active
Our Sustainability Team held a number of events during Welcome Week to introduce students to campus and the local area, demonstrating how students can be sustainable while at Sussex.
Students were offered the chance to go on a Boundary Walk, took part in a silent disco beach clean, and joined campus nature walks and guided bike rides.
Sussexsport also provided an extensive series of activities throughout the week, from free gym sessions, to sport and activity tasters; students were offered a great chance to see how they can get active on campus.
Freshers’ Fair
Freshers’ Fair was a big highlight from the week, providing new students with a fantastic introduction to different areas of student life, such as societies and the Students’ Union.
Split across three different venues, Freshers’ Fair felt busier than ever this year, with hundreds of students enjoying an array of interactive stalls, games and freebies throughout the day.
Day of celebration
Friday of Welcome Week was a special day, as each Faculty hosted a Welcome Celebration, where students were able to hear a presentation from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, and meet each other and staff members, including their Faculty’s Executive Dean.
The welcome presentations were recorded for students who were unable to attend. You can now watch the videos from the events on the Student Hub.
Friday’s celebrations continued with a variety of activities in Schools and across our beautiful campus. A ‘bubble wizard’, stilt walker and live musicians drew crowds along the Arts Path. A circus workshop took over Library Square, where students also enjoyed complimentary cream teas, With the sun shining, it was the perfect close to a fun-filled and exciting Welcome Week.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil said: “The Welcome Celebration Day was a fantastic example of cross-team working to enhance the student experience which will have a longer term positive impact. The students I spoke to left feeling really good about being at Sussex, with a sense that Sussex is a great university, doing amazing research and producing incredibly impressive alumni. Thank you to everyone involved in delivering it.”