
Weekend of Welcome is an immersive experience that showcases the unique and multifaceted culture of Georgia College. It is always a time to get acquainted with the Georgia College campus community, to make new connections, to get involved, and to explore the different parts of campus. This year, Weekend of Welcome 2022 will be held on August 11 - 14, with additional events and activities offered throughout the rest of the month. For a complete breakdown of the Weekend of Welcome schedule, please see below.
*The inclusion of an asterisk * before the event title indicates that the event is mandatory for all first year students*
** Please download your event pass from the mobile version of GC Connect found on the Corq app so your attendance can be tracked. Once you download the app, please select GC Connect as your campus.**
Thursday, August 11
8 a.m. - 11 a.m. MOVE-IN DAY - Assigned Residence Hall or Apartment
You will begin your residential Georgia College experience by moving into your assigned hall or apartment. Move-in details are available online by visiting University Housing.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. BARNES & NOBLE VIP PARTY - Downtown on Hancock Street
Come to Barnes & Noble at Georgia College to be welcomed to campus in style at our VIP Event! Pick up your books, get your GC gear, get free swag, and learn more about winning a semester of free books!
11:30 – 12:30 p.m. IFC PARENT ORIENTATION – Magnolia Ballroom, Student Activities Center
The Interfraternity Council (IFC) Parent Orientation is an optional informational session dedicated to helping parents and potential members learn about fraternity life at Georgia College. We will share detailed information about the recruitment process, the new member period, costs, and time expectations.
*3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. MEET YOUR COMMUNITY ADVISOR - Assigned residence hall or apartment
Come together with your CA and your fellow floor mates to be introduced to your new community. Your CA will share important information you need to know about living in University Housing. Your CA will review the Week of Welcome schedule, distribute your Class of 2026 T-shirts for the Welcome Rally and Kick-off Cookout, and help you meet your new neighbors. Other topics will include sharing housing rules and policies and getting involved on campus.
*5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CLASS OF 2026 PHOTO/WELCOME TO GEORGIA COLLEGE – Front Campus and Russell Auditorium
Now that you’ve unpacked and moved in, we want to celebrate your induction into the GC Family! First, you will take your Class of 2026 photo on beautiful front campus. Then, you will have your official welcome to GC and first meal on campus. ***Photo will be taken at 5pm.
Team Green( Village, Sanford, Parkhurst, Wells)
5:30 – 6:15 p.m. Welcome Rally – Russell Auditorium
6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Dinner – Front Campus
Team Blue (Bell, Foundation, Adams, Napier)
5:30 – 6:15 p.m. Dinner – Front Campus
6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Welcome Rally – Russell Auditorium
8:30 – 10:00 p.m. – SAILESH THE HYPNOTIST - Russell Auditorium
An experienced performer with more than 20 years under his belt, SAILESH, The Hypnotist has performed a staggering 5000+ shows at Colleges, Universities and clubs, many with repeated bookings. Dubbed “The World’s Best Hypnotist,” MTV Europe, his live show has been described as a cross between a concert and the best party ever! Sailesh makes audience members the stars of the show, taking the entire audience on a journey using hypnosis, improv, music and interactivity to create a whole lot of laughter and a ton of fun! ****For mature audiences only****
Friday, August 12
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. BREAKFAST – The MAX
*9 – 11:15 a.m. FIRST-YEAR CONVOCATION/COLLEGE MEETING – Beginning in the Centennial Center
Appropriate dress required - no jeans or caps. Please arrive by 8:45 a.m. to get swiped in. Check in by 8:15 a.m. - Foundation, Parkhurst, Sanford Check in by 8:30 a.m. - Adams, Napier, Wells Check in by 8:45 a.m. - Village, Bell
****PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES****
CONVOCATION
Convocation is your official induction into the Georgia College family, and, in many ways, marks the beginning of your collegiate journey. Convocation will feature a welcome from our President, SGA President, and keynote speaker, Dr. Kristina Dandy, Professor of Psychology. Here you will also receive your class pin which serves as a tangible symbol of your membership in the Georgia College Class of 2026. In receiving and putting on your pin, you are not only joining a list of Georgia College community members that stretches back 130 years, you are also demonstrating your bond to your classmates and commitment to our shared principles of “Reason, Respect, and Responsibility.”
COLLEGE MEETING – Locations across campus (announced at Convocation)
You will be dismissed from Convocation and led directly to your college meetings. This will be your opportunity to meet leadership, faculty and other students in your college of choice. Georgia College has four academic colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Technology, College of Education, and College of Health Sciences. Learn about all the opportunities afforded by being a GC Class of 2026 member.
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. LUNCH – Boxed lunches delivered to college meetings
*12:00 p.m. – 1:35 p.m. SESSION 1 – Concurrent Programs – See groupings, locations, and times below ( Students will receive an email prior to these sessions with their assigned classroom)
GCSYou and Your Health Session
Join members from the WRC for the Bobcat Health Showdown to talk about all things health and safety! This isn’t your typical lecture- this is the 1st Intramural Challenge of the year! Learn about all the resources you have available here on campus and hear how you can help other Bobcats. There will be prizes! Who is going to be the first Champions of the year? Come and find out!
*Hint follow the WRC on Instagram for trivia clues*
Connecting With Your First Year Guide
During this small group interactive session, you’ll get to know a first-year guide, be introduced to GC Journeys, and have a chance to get your academic questions answered
Team A (determined by first-year seminar)
12:00 – 12:40 p.m. FYG SESSION – campus classrooms
12:55 – 1:35 p.m. GCSYou and Your Health SESSION – Russell Auditorium
Team B (determined by first-year seminar)
12:00 – 12:40 p.m. GCSYou and Your Health SESSION– Russell Auditorium
12:55 – 1:35 p.m. FYG SESSION – campus classrooms
1:35 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. SNACK COOL-DOWN – Fountain and surrounding areas
*2:00 – 4:15 p.m. SESSION II - Concurrent Programs – Students will receive an email with specific location
From 2:00- 4:15 you will be rotating through your GCReads microseminar sessions and Be Brave sessions. If you are signed up for a 2pm GCReads session then you will attend Be Brave at 3:15pm. If you are signed up for a 3:15pm GCReads session then you will attend a 2pm Be Brave session.
Be BRAVE
Join us for this session to learn about your role in preventing sexual assault at Georgia College. It's on us to be BRAVE!
GCReads Microseminar Sessions
To ensure a good start to your academic experience, you get to participate in one of our Micro-Seminars! These seminars offer an informal introduction to college-level discussions and an opportunity to explore a subject of mutual interest with a subject matter that you selected from the summer reading essays. Get a preview of a classroom setting at Georgia College and have a discussion about compelling themes with those that share a similar interest. Students will receive an email prior to this session with their assigned classroom.
BE BRAVE – Russell Auditorium
GC READS – available classrooms
4:45 – 6:45 p.m. DINNER – The MAX
*7 – 8 p.m. FORMING YOUR COMMUNITY – Assigned Residence Hall or Apartment
Join your fellow floor mates and share your experiences from your first day of Week of Welcome. Your CA will also work with you to form community expectations for the year.
8 – 10 p.m. WELCOME TO GEORGIA COLLEGE BLOCK PARTY – Greene Street
You are cordially invited to the 4th Annual Block Party! Come out and enjoy music, activities and fun. Student organizations will be on hand to provide information on how to get involved on campus. Now that you are on campus, remember the Campus Life Challenge: Get involved in at least one organization or team in the first month on campus. You will even have an opportunity to enter a drawing for prizes including a semester of free books! You don’t want to miss out!
8 – 10 p.m. T-SHIRT UPGRADE (while they last) – Greene Street
Bobcat fans will have the opportunity for a T-shirt upgrade during the Block Party. Bring in a shirt with any other college logo on it, no matter the condition, and swap it for a brand-new Georgia College shirt! Milledgeville is Bobcat territory. It can be the Georgia Tech shirt you do yard work in with the yellow pit stains, or it can be the Georgia shirt that your pet bulldog got a hold of and tore to shreds. We’ll take any shirt, no questions asked.
Saturday, August 13
*8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. GC GIVES – Milledgeville/Baldwin County (locations to be announced)
Being a student at Georgia College is more than excelling in the classroom – it’s about becoming a servant leader too. Join fellow members of the Class of 2026, faculty, staff, and community members as we come together to serve your new community. Food, water, and transportation to different service sites in the surrounding community will be provided. Let’s give back and be the change which you want to see in the world!
**Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and footwear as most locations will be outdoors.**
11:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. LUNCH – The MAX
*1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. UNBOXING YOUR COMMUNITY – Centennial Center
As a student at GC, you’re now a part of the Bobcat Nation! But just who makes up our community? In this interactive session, you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about your fellow Bobcats - beyond what you might see on the surface or assume about them based on stereotypes. And, it’s a great opportunity to fill out some of the bingo board on the back of your class t-shirt (and maybe win a prize)!
Group 1: 1:00 p.m - 2:00 p.m– Village, Wells
Group 2: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. – Adams, Bell, Napier, Sanford
Group 3 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.– Foundation, Parkhurst
5:00 – 7:15 p.m. DINNER – The MAX
8 – 10:00 p.m. SILENT DISCO – Centennial Center
The Resident Student Association (RSA) invites you to their annual Silent Disco! Silent Disco is a unique way of experiencing music. Guests wear wireless headphones, and a silent atmosphere instantly transforms in to a high- energy musical performance. Enjoy the work of a professional DJ or make requests for your favorite tracks, the choice is yours. Tune in to up to three channels and different types of music and create the party you would prefer.
Sunday, August 14
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. BRUNCH – The MAX
Sleep in and then head to The MAX for your first brunch of the year.
3:00 p.m. CAMPUS PROWL (Guided Classroom Tour) - Atkinson Lobby
Join the first-year guides (FYGs) for a 45 minute guided tour of our most common classroom buildings. You’ll get a chance to figure out where all of your classes are before they start this week. Meet the FYGs in the first floor lobby of Atkinson Hall (the building behind the bobcat head on front campus)
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – KICK-OFF TOAST, SPONSORED BY COCA-COLA – Front Campus
Join Georgia College President Cathy Cox to officially welcome the Class of 2026 to campus. Milledgeville Coca-Cola will be on hand to provide drinks, as well as lawn games and music.
5:00 -7:00 p.m. DINNER – The MAX
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – SEX SIGNALS – Russell Auditorium
Sex Signals has become one of the most popular sexual assault prevention programs on college campuses through its unorthodox, humor-facilitated and inclusive approach to examining our culture, sex, and prevention strategies like bystander intervention. A two-person team of highly-trained educators takes the audience on an interactive, relevant, and often-hilarious exploration of the cultural messaging we receive about gender, sexuality, sexual health and intimate relationships. It examines what roles culture and privilege play in justifying unhealthy and dangerous beliefs about what is acceptable social and sexual behavior.
****Seating will be Limited to arrive early****
Video: https://youtu.be/y2gSp9wNDig