Summer term BYU freshmen welcome at kick-off event June 27

The Brigham Young University Freshman Mentoring Office has invited more than a thousand incoming freshmen for summer term to a grand kick-off event Thursday, June 27, from 4 to 10 p.m. at BYU Helaman Fields.

The kick-off is free for all BYU freshmen and will feature inflatable attractions, BYU athletes and Cosmo, a dunk tank, live music, comedy performances and an outdoor movie showing of “Life of Pi.” The event will mark the first day of the summer term freshman mentoring program. 

“The university has asked us to provide every new student with a mentor,” said Phil Rash, director of Freshmen Mentoring. “What better way for us to introduce new students to their mentors than in a party type of format?”

Thanks to donations from the campus and community, more than $1,000 in prizes will be given away during the event. Among the list of raffle prizes are laser tag packages from Laser Assault, ROC sports passes, tickets to live Studio C tapings and gift cards to local restaurants. To enter the raffle, a student just needs to find his or her mentor.

“This event has a dual purpose,” said Mentor Coordinator Brett Dillon. “We want new students to start their summer off at a fun event where they can meet new people and have a great time. We also want them to have a chance to meet their freshman mentor who will be working with them through their first year at the university.”

BYU’s freshman mentoring program is larger than any other new-student mentoring program in the nation. Nearly 100 student mentors and six full-time staff members work one-on-one with about 7,000 new students every year to ensure a smooth transition from high school to college and success in students’ first year at BYU.

“Freshman Mentoring exists to make life for new students easier,” Rash said. “We provide a home base for freshmen and connect them to university life and academic success through a staff of dedicated, successful upperclassman students. We invite all freshmen to join us on this Thursday to kick-off the new school year right.”

Interested freshmen students can RSVP for the event on Facebook at on.fb.me/19nSWRE.