Western students move into residence halls beginning Sept. 16

Classes Begin Sept. 21; Many Activities Planned for Students

Roughly 4,000 students are expected to move into Western Washington University’s residence halls and apartments from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18. The first day of classes at Western is Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Western anticipates about 2,700 freshmen and 900 transfer students for fall. Total enrollment is expected to be just over 15,000. WWU President Bruce Shepard will be on hand at Western residence halls on Sunday to welcome new and returning students and their families.

“The new academic year at Western is an exciting time and the annual start of a wonderful journey of discovery for our students,” Shepard said. “I and all the volunteers across campus look forward to meeting many students and their families as we help unload and carry boxes on Sunday.”

About 70 percent of students living in residence halls will be new to Western and will be introduced to campus traditions with activities that include Welcoming Convocation on Sept. 20. For more information about moving into residence halls, visit the housing website at https://housing.wwu.edu/.

On Sept. 19 and 20, there will be a variety of workshops on study skills, declaring a major and information on managing finances. For more information, visit the New Student Services/Family Outreach website at http://nssfo.wwu.edu. New Student Services also updates programs, upcoming events and campus news that helps new students get acclimated to campus. For more information see ThisWeek@WWU. Another good source of information is the Soundings News for WWU Families newsletter.

A number of informative and interesting activities are planned for Western students at the start of the academic year, including the annual Associated Students Info Fair Sept. 19 and 20 in Red Square. WTA bus tours are available during the Info Fair by signing up at the WTA table. The Wade King Student Recreation Center Late Night for students will be held from 9 p.m. to midnight on Monday, Sept. 19, at the recreation center. Activities will include dancing, fitness class demonstrations, rock climbing, swimming and more. For more information contact Campus Recreation Services at (360) 650-3766. The Student Bus Pass is available and valid for use beginning Sept. 12; it is good on all WTA routes.

Students can obtain a bus pass by bringing their Western ID card to the Western Card Office, temporarily located in Wilson Library 165 across from the bookstore, to have it encoded with a bus pass. The Western Student Shuttle begins operation Sunday, Sept. 18. Hours of operation are 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Sundays. Students must show a Western ID to board. Students may subscribe each fall to receive a text alert when the student shuttle service is cancelled during inclement weather by texting “bus” to 68398. For complete transportation information, students can visit http://www.wwu.edu/transportation/ or call (360) 650-7960.