These Signature Welcome Week Events are traditions that Winthrop students take part in every year. Many of them are solely for new students to participate in, while others offer opportunities for the whole campus (faculty, staff, and all students) to come together and celebrate the new academic year. They are listed below in chronological order.
New students, make the most of Welcome Week! Upperclassmen, attend the events you can and participate in the planning of others! Welcome Week is for all of us.
Welcome home! All new students who will be living on campus will check in at an assigned
time. Find more information on Residence Life's Move-In site.
Welcome home! Tonight you begin your 261 day journey to make each day count.
We know there are so many questions about the transition to college and tonight will help answer those questions and ease the transition! You will create new bonds with your FYE Peer Mentor, ACAD 101 faculty, and classmates. ACAD 101 sections will meet in classrooms across campus. #261FYE
Winthrop's Convocation is one of our proudest traditions. It serves as the university's
official welcome to new students and celebrates academic excellence and cognitive
curiosity.
As a Winthrop tradition that began with the university's first president, David Bancroft Johnson, Convocation is a ceremony always held before classes begin at the start of each academic year. Today, President Serna convenes members of the 137th new student class of freshmen and incoming transfer students to provide them with an official welcome to the campus community.
Make sure to wear your Blue Line t-shirt!
After Convocation is the Convocation Picnic. Students, local churches, and civic organizations will provide information on opportunities to get involved on campus and in the Rock Hill community. Take advantage of all that the Convocation Picnic has to offer!
Established in 1895 by President Johnson, the Blue Line is among Winthrop's most cherished
traditions.
Originally, the female students were led in two lines down Oakland Avenue where they could attend any one of the many churches along the street. The procession of students dressed in blue and white uniforms was led by the President on the first Sunday of the academic year and eventually became known as the “Blue Line." When the uniform policy ended, the tradition lost its identity, but in 1983 President Lader revived the Blue Line.
It's time to get to work! Start the semester off strong. Use your resources. Ask for
help when you need to.
You've got this!
Fall courses start on Monday, August 22, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET. If you have a class that starts at 5:00 p.m. or after on Mondays, you will attend class on this day. If you have a class that starts earlier than 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, you won't have class until the next day it meets. Still not sure? That's ok! Talk to your OL, TF, or Peer Mentor.
Winthrop's class of 1909 took the picture above on the steps of Tillman Hall in the
form of a "W" for Winthrop.
The DiGiorgio Student Union (DSU) is Winthrop's official programming board. Student-led, DSU provides a variety of
opportunities of an academic, social, or cultural nature outside of the classroom.
As you can see on the schedule, DSU hosts many events during Welcome Week, some of which charge admission. Welcome Week passes are available for purchase, which grant you admission to all DSU Welcome Week events.
DSU Welcome Week Passes:
Individual DSU Welcome Week Events:
Passes may be purchased with cash, check, or charged to your university account. You
can also purchase using debit or credit card through the DSU U-Store.
If you would like to join DSU, the application process starts in March!
Winthrop University strives to offer its students a setting in which they can mature culturally, as well as intellectually. In an effort to provide a well-rounded education, Winthrop has a cultural events policy. The purpose of the cultural events requirement is to establish and foster a life-enriching pattern of cultural involvement.
All students are required to attend Cultural Events as a graduation requirement.
By attending cultural events, a student experiences firsthand the diverse offerings of culture and artistic expression found in a community.
Students interested in auditioning for an instrumental music ensemble should contact Dr. Lorrie Crochet (crochetl@winthrop.edu) before classes begin. A prepared piece is suggested by not mandatory for the audition process.
Students interested in auditioning for a choral ensemble should contact Dr. Jeremy Mims (mimsj@winthrop.edu) before classes begin. Schedules will be posted in the main hallway of the Conservatory of Music. A prepared piece is suggested but not mandatory for the audition process.
