After incoming freshmen tackled the task of arranging their new rooms and saying goodbye to their families on Move-In Day, the Office of Student Affairs arranged a block party outside the Housing Office to provide new students with a way to connect.

As an annual kickoff to Welcome Week, students were invited out to the Octagon to meet other freshmen, get information on the week’s events and enjoy their first afternoon on campus.

FMU’s new Student Life Specialist and Ombudsman Michael Barfield joined Dean Theresa Ramey in signing students in to the event.

“This event is to encourage the incoming students to socialize and come out of their bubble,” Barfield said. “It’s to welcome them to FMU and give them some excitement and good times on their first day here.”

Barfield joined FMU’s faculty this year and has already become involved with planning for events, working with different university departments and communicating with students about plans for this year’s student life. For the block party event, he collaborated with Rita’s Italian Ice and met with Aramark and other departments to discuss the best practices to hold a successful event.

Rita’s Italian Ice catered the event, and students gathered outside the Housing Office for flavored ice and pop music. The DJs played current music from artists such as David Burd, Drake, and Ariana Grande. The crowds and loud speakers drew students from across campus.

Freshman music industry major Jarrett Forrester attended the event after hearing the commotion from his residential area.

“I came out to see what was going on, and I ended up meeting a few people while listening to some good music,” Forrester said.

Games of Frisbee and football began when more students filled the area. Because the event began at 5 p.m., most of the incoming freshmen had finished setting up their rooms, and the upperclassmen who volunteered on Move In Day were still on campus to move themselves in and meet the freshmen.

The event not only provided an exciting way for new and old students to connect over music, food and games, but it also gave the university a chance to advertise future Welcome Week events. Organizations such as the Baptist Collegiate Ministry were already at the event after moving students in all day and could talk to the new students and encourage them to get involved with future events on campus.