Welcome Class of 2015!

Are you ready? It is about to begin this week; a new academic year at the University of Rochester! Last week the campus was buzzing as all of the fresh-faced newbie’s moved into their dorms and began the freshman orientation program. As part of the annual tradition, the EXPO took place last Wednesday to welcome the new class and hook them up with some cool free stuff. University Facilities and Services participates in this event each year and partners with the Res Life team to offer a very cool light bulb exchange program. During the EXPO, Facilities holds a table to offer incoming students a bright start with a free CFL for any of the lamps that they may be bringing in to help illuminate their dorm room. These bulbs save electricity, which might not seem like a big deal unless you picture ever single student on campus collectively using them. The deal is that at any time, students can pop in at their residential life office and get a free light bulb. No questions asked. If a bulb burns out (CFL or regular incandescent), all they have to do is bring it in to the office and exchange it for a shiny new CFL. But once students are equipped with CFL’s they don’t need to use the exchange program very often. The latest bulbs that were passed out are estimated to last for 11 years!

The EXPO is also Facilities opportunities to get students acquainted with some of the cool green things that the University has to offer, like zip cars, city cycles, events, student groups and other ways that they can get involved. Of course, let’s not forget about recycling. With the University’s recycling coordinator and assistant greeting people at this event, students could learn all they need to know about recycling.

Speaking of recycling, the EcoReps helped collect Styrofoam and cardboard to make sure that it would be recycled. As I’m sure you can imagine, over 1,000 new freshmen moving in over the course of just hours is a harried process. Often when people are focused on a task as big as moving and are rushed to do so things like recycling tend to get neglected. But the new group of EcoReps made sure that their classmates were reminded right off the bat the importance of recycling in everyday life and offered their assistance to make it happen. Thank you, EcoReps!!

There is a bright new year ahead indeed and not just thanks to the CFL’s. Danforth Dining has been newly renovated, the new Warner School of Education is being built, and Bill Clinton will be visiting during a very special Meliora Weekend. Find out more about all this in President Seligman’s welcome address. For some fun pictures from move-in day of the past and present, take a look at: http://www.rochester.edu/largepics/movein2011/index.html. But more important than anything else, is the students that come from all over the world to learn and make their own contribution to the University. The driving force of students with an endless potential is what makes us the “ever better” institution that we are. Welcome class of 2015. Shine on!