2025-2026 school year kicks off with Welcome Week events

By Emmett Roman
Staff Reporter

This week, Downtown and West Campuses said hello to all students during Welcome Week. Welcome week is an event that begins each fall semester which allows students to get acquainted to classrooms, intermingle with one another, pick up their StarCards, get LCC swag, and familiarize themselves with campus. Welcome Week events take place from Aug. 20 to Aug. 29.

There are many things to do over the course of Welcome Week this year on both campuses. The week began at the Downtown Campus on Aug. 20 with the New Student Kickoff, which offered free food for students, help with finding new classrooms, music, meeting LCC staf The kickoff was about acquainting students with the campus by giving a campus tour, getting their schedules and scholarship giveaways.

The Office of Empowerment had a lot of involvement this year for Welcome Week. At the Arts and Sciences Building, there was a table set up right out front of their office at the Cesar Chavez Center. There, students could ask them questions about what the Office of Empowerment was about, get familiarized with staff, and pick up swag from their table. On Aug. 26, the Office of Empowerment ran the Wheel of Empowerment, which was a way to showcase different questions about diversity like when Pride Month is, what advocacy is, and who Maya Angelou is. 

Another marquee event for Welcome Week is the annual Nonprofit and Government Agency Fair, which occurs on Aug. 26 this year. The event allows students to find volunteer work or internships. Patti Ayers, the coordinator of Student Life, helped plan the event. When asked about her favorite part of the fair, Ayers said, “The best part is the connection and energy the events create in helping students see themselves as part of a community.”

Student Life also sponsors the Campus Resource and Registered Student Organization Fair on Aug. 27. “The [fair] is hosted for students to learn about all of the campus resources and student clubs to make the most of their college experience,” Ayers said.

To conclude the week, LCC President Steve Robinson hosts an event called Party with the Prez. This year, the event that takes place on Aug. 28. According to the LCC website, this event allows you to meet with the president, listen to music being played by a DJ, make a splash with the dunk tank, build a walking taco, try your skills in the escape room and more. “Party with the Prez is a way for me to directly interact with students in a fun and informal way,” Robinson said. “That way students can see that I’m a person—just like them—and a teacher at heart.” This event has become a tradition at LCC, and is Robinson’s fifth year hosting it as the president.

In conclusion, there are many events happening during Welcome Week. These events allow students to get accustomed to the campus, with one another and staff members, meet clubs and organizations within campus, and so much more.