NEWS

 

The News of Davidson Editorial Board would like to add our warm welcome to the Class of 2026, and we welcome back the members of the classes of ’25, ’24, and ’23. We are glad you are back in Davidson.

You may have spent your summer at home or abroad; interned for a bank or non-profit; conducted research; served lattes or served as a lifeguard. Whatever you did and learned, we’re excited to have your energy, experiences and entrepreneurial spirits launching us into the new school year.

If you’re coming to Davidson College as a first-year student or returning as a second, third or fourth, know how glad we are to meet you, or to have you back on campus.

Class of 2026: You studied hard, starred on sports teams and in plays, helped the sick and disadvantaged, and made your communities better places. You’ll be awash in opportunities to do all that and much more here.

You’ll find a fellow fresh starter in Doug Hicks ’90, who came to Davidson as a first-year student a few decades ago and now begins his first semester as the college’s 19th president. You’ll discover a close, caring community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and town residents who’ll encourage and support you through your college journey and offer invaluable lifelong connections.

Welcome to Davidson. We’re so happy you’re here.

The Latest From Welcome Week: Orientation Fair

Thursday morning, new students and their families met with representatives of different college departments and programs available to answer questions and describe their services.

Happy to Help

So how do you move more than 500 newcomers into their new dorms in the span of a few hours?

With lots of helpers.

Orientation team leaders on Wednesday had plenty of assists from other students, faculty and staff, including President Doug Hicks, who greeted students and parents. He also carried luggage, pillows and other dorm necessities and helped get at least one bike off a car roof.

And following tradition, many of Davidson’s athletes, including football, soccer and field hockey team members, lugged boxes, lamps and storage bins from family cars to students’ rooms.

“Watts 112!” Jon Berlin, Davidson’s assistant head football coach, yelled to his waiting team about a newcomer’s dorm room, as if calling out a play.

“Watts 112!” they screamed in return. “Yay!”

“We like to get excited,” Berlin said. “Anytime you have a task, you’ve got to attack it with enthusiasm.”

One smiling dad stopped to remark on a painless moving in process. “This crew is unbelievable,” he said. “Snaps for Davidson.”

And that’s the experience orientation team member Nyja Quash ‘24, who greeted and directed vehicles heading towards dorms, wants everyone to have.

“I love seeing the smiles on their faces, and their families’ faces when they see we’re here to help,” Quash said. “They don’t have to do this alone. And during orientation, we have a few days to help them learn what we know, show them around and become familiar with things before everyone else gets here and classes start.

“We shape their first impressions of their college lives, and that really matters.”