Freshman orientation event, ‘Hawkfest,’ kicks off the 2023-24 UW-Whitewater school year

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Freshman orientation event, ‘Hawkfest,’ kicks off the 2023-24 UW-Whitewater school year

Freshman orientation event, ‘Hawkfest,’ kicks off the 2023-24 UW-Whitewater school year

By 7:20 p.m. on Sunday some 1,800 of this year’s University of Wisconsin-Whitewater freshmen students had arrived to participate in “Hawkfest,” according to volunteers operating the event’s checkin table.

While the event, which operated between 6:30 and 8 p.m., was mandatory for freshmen, it attracted purple-clad students of all variety, many of whom were on hand to assist the freshmen in getting established on campus.

This 2023-24 school year, the university has welcomed approximately 1,900 freshmen, a representative at the school’s admissions office booth said.

Volunteers manning the booth were busy placing airbrush tattoos on eager Warhawks. A line of students waiting for their turn to receive the artwork stretched across a blocked off section of Graham Street on campus where the orientation event took place.

With more than 30 booths available for students to visit, lines converged at various points along the roadway, as students gathered to receive information, made their way through the crowd, or stopped to dance. Booths and tables each were operated by a campus organization or community vendor ready to provide service-related handouts and myriad free gifts, ranging from food to frisbees.

Community-based organizations and businesses at the event included the city of Whitewater, Downtown Whitewater, Inc., ReVamp Nutrition, Bleu’s Barbershop, The Sweet Spot, and Associated Bank, among others.

Tunes, spun by DJ Tommy Jewell of Sound and Light Incorporated, rocked the block as students, “Willie the Warhawk,” and UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King, took time, while pursuing the booths and interacting with new students, to dance in the street.

Several students at the event said they had moved into their dormitories on Saturday and were anticipating that campus would be in full swing after Labor Day.

Photos from the event follow.

A volunteer representing the Andersen Library on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus hands out free frisbees to students as they pass by. The volunteer was one of several manning some 32 booths at “Hawkfest,” a freshmen orientation event held Sunday.

Downtown Whitewater business ReVamp Nutrition owner Jericca Newby, at center and sporting a yellow ReVamp Nutrition shirt, is aided by employee Reagan Wolff, to her right, as they offer free samples of their smoothie and juice beverage products to students.

Students visit the Campus Ministries booth during Sunday’s freshman orientation.

Whitewater Recreation and Community Events Programmer who also is serving as the interim Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Dujardin, at right, offers students information about the city during Sunday’s freshman orientation. Students progressing along Graham Street could next visit a booth manned by Lisa Dawsey Smith, who serves in several liaison roles, including those associated with the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Whitewater, Inc. Dawsey Smith also serves as a member of the city’s common council.

UW Credit Union employee Jeffrey Phoumyvong greets students as they flow along Graham Street Sunday as part of Hawkfest, a freshman orientation event.

A volunteer at the Career Services booth hands out information about job fairs.

Levi “Bleu” Schmitz, owner of Bleu’s Barbershop in Whitewater, offers students information about his services.

McKenzie Jansen, seated, at left, and Alexa Crary, also seated, man the University Health and Counseling booth.

Campus police officers Ryan Olson, from left, Alison Fish, and Kyle Feucht present students with handouts and giveaways.

Associated Bank representatives Kelsey Schultz, at right, and Analexis Martinez-Sosa, who is bilingual, greet students during Sunday’s freshman orientation event.

Air Force ROTC cadets Aubrey Schmutzler, at left, and Pheonyx Simmons, both from attachment 925, greet students and provide information and handouts.

Admissions office booth volunteers, with aid from a stencil, create an airbrush tattoo on the upper arm of a student.

UW-Whitewater freshman Rebecca Reitz displays her airbrush tattoo.

Elena and Jake Gildemeister, husband-and-wife owners of the Sweet Spot, a downtown Whitewater restaurant and coffee shop, offer food samples from their establishment.

Having earlier met with their freshmen mentees, UW-Whitewater peer mentors gather together near a giant “Willie the Warhawk” inflatable.

Students visit on Graham Street.

Having collected a few giveaways, students move along Graham Street to the next booth.

UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King, at right, visits with event-goers as he makes his way along Graham Street.

As a line advances, a student looks forward to a turn at the booth.

As the street fills with event-goers, volunteers manning the University Center booth take to higher ground to gain notice for their information and handouts.