On Friday, Aug. 19, freshman students walked into the Dunn Center for the annual freshman convocation. Members of various campus organizations and APSU cheerleaders greeted students and spent some of their time teaching popular cheers.
APSU President Alisa White opened the convocation with some advice for the new students.
“Don’t waste the opportunity to enjoy the full college experience,” White said. “Think about what you need to do in these next four years to get done.”
Rex Gandy, Provost and President of Academic Affairs; Sherryl Byrd, Vice President of Student Affairs; Michael Hampton, APSU Graduate and Executive Director of The Food Initiative; and Ryan Honea, SGA President, all took turns welcoming the class of 2020 as well.
Lesley Walker, a freshman whose major is undeclared, said she is looking forward to this new chapter in her life.
“I am excited about something new,” Walker said. “This is nothing like high school.”
Samantha Clawson, a freshman education major, said she is most excited about meeting new people.
“This is the best way to make new friends,” Clawson said. “I am really looking forward to meeting all different kinds of people.”
Over 1,100 APSU freshmen moved into Campus Housing for the Fall 2016 semester. Due to the large amount of students who applied to APSU housing for the fall semester, 40 of those students were placed in the Riverview Inn due to overflow.
Damien Cagle, a member of Guest Services, spoke on behalf of Riverview Inn and expressed excitement about their partnership with APSU.
“We are super excited to have students staying with us,” Cagle said. “We love our partnership with APSU, they bring us a lot of business.”
In 2015, APSU welcomed 1,458 freshmen, 889 of which lived in campus housing. For the 2016 school year, The freshmen class is estimated to be 1,919 students, beating the previous record of 1,718.
Austin Brown, a freshman psychological sciences major, said he is looking forward to his stay at Riverview Inn.
“I am not upset that I am a bit farther from campus,” Brown said. “We get big, comfortable beds. The only downfall I can think of is being farther from the library.”
Students living in Riverview Inn will have access to a pool and gym, housekeeping that will take out trash daily and change sheets weekly, the hotel cat Floyd and a daily shuttle that will take them to and from campus.
Anthony Boley, a freshman radiology major, said there are pros and cons to living off campus.
“I might not be right in the middle of everything, but there are less distractions this way.”
For more information, visit www.apsu.edu/admissions.
