LIZ ANASTASIADIS, MANAGING EDITOR — Before upperclassman arrive on campus, Denison welcomes new students to their first year on the hill. With move-in day comes tradition; the Denison Football Team helping students move their belongings into their new homes, to the annual Induction Ceremony. Students will receive their red and white Commencement tassels to keep during their four years, where they will eventually be given their class year charm for attachment. After the busy day follows the August Orientation (Aug-O).
Every upperclassman remembers their first week on campus as a student at Denison. With events such as the infamous Sizzle, to the hypnotist and first times socializing with their new classmates at Casino Night, Aug-O is hard to forget. With Aug-O down, the Class of 2023 will then become true Denison students.
Aug-O is a yearly tradition that brings fun but also aims to give students the tools they need to start successful college careers. By connecting students with others in their residence halls to fire safety, diversity, and “sex signals” sessions, Aug-O is a right of passage for every Denisonian.
The Class of 2023 is capped off at 620 students. With a total of 8,812 applicants and 2,590 admission offers, Denison’s admission rate for the Class of 2023 at a record low of 29%, making Denison one of the most selective private liberal arts schools in the state of Ohio.
As the new faces appear, so will the new changes on campus. From a new Slayter Student Union renovation including hardwood floors, a coffee bar, and snack station, to renovated residence halls, a library makeover and the new Eisner Center for the Performing Arts, the makeup of campus is evolving.
Denison has also recently introduced new staff members, including four new Community Coordinators (CC’s) in Residential Communities and Dustin Brentlinger, who joined as the Polk Family Executive Director of Student Health & Wellness, overseeing Health & Counseling, Wellness Education, and Religious & Spiritual Life.
New changes and new faces help first-year students to gear up as they start their college careers and build skills whilst collecting memories and create relationships that will last throughout their adult lives.