The Wayne State College class of 2022 got to be the first class to experience a possible new tradition in the Willow Bowl during Welcome Weekend: Convocation. Convocation was a large assembly held on Aug. 17 right after the freshmen class moved into their residence halls. Career Services Director Jason Barelman played a big part in planning convocation.

“I was co-chair of the committee with Lori Nicholson after Jeff Carstens asked us to,” Barelman said. “We first heard about convocation when President Marysz Rames mentioned that she had remembered convocation being a tradition at previous colleges she worked at.”

Convocation was a careful and well thought out event with the new students at Wayne State College in mind.

“The whole idea behind convocation is to put a picture in a freshmen’s head of where they will be in four years down the road,” Barelman said. “They may not realize the full impact of convocation until graduation day.” Convocation was a new addition to the Welcome Weekend events.

“It put a new twist on the first day of Welcome weekend,” Barelman said. “It was the first activity after the new students finished moving into their resident’s halls.”

Returning students, faculty, and a big class of 2022 made large attendance numbers for convocation.

“There were about 2,000 total in attendance for convocation. We heard a lot of good comments and there may be some room for improving the event for next year,” Barelman said. “I wonder how long it will take for it to feel like a tradition here at Wayne State. I enjoyed being on the committee for convocation.”

Brianna Ward also had a big role in planning events at Welcome Weekend.

“I was given responsibility of new student orientation coordinator and we started planning welcome weekend way back in January 2018,” Ward said. “We needed to order materials and book entertainment early for the weekend such as sex signals and the hypnotist.”

Ward thought Convocation was a great addition to the Welcome Weekend. “It is held at many universities and it celebrates the beginning of college just as graduation celebrates the end of college,” Ward said. “I heard a lot of great things about Convocation here at Wayne State.”

Convocation was a very successful event and with that, everyone involved in the planning wants all student to succeed here at Wayne State. Ward had some advice for the class of 2022.

“Get out of your comfort zone, because it will open so many doors of opportunity in the future,” Ward said.