Gustavus Welcomes Class of 2017 Posted on August 29th, 2013 by

The Class of 2016 will be welcomed to campus by the Gustie Greeters.

The Class of 2017 will be welcomed to campus by the Gustie Greeters.

Approximately 650 first-year students will arrive in St. Peter on the morning of Friday, Aug. 30 to begin their college journey at Gustavus Adolphus College.

As is tradition, families will make their way up the hill on College Avenue in their vehicles where they will be welcomed by an energetic group of Gustie Greeters. As part of another tradition, members of the Gustavus football team will help families unload their vehicles and move belongings into the students’ respective residence hall rooms.

Here are some facts and figures regarding the Class of 2017:

  • Average unweighted grade point average of incoming class is 3.65
  • Average ACT score of incoming class is 27
  • Students hail from 32 different states and six countries
  • 22 percent of the class is from outside of Minnesota including 26 students from Wisconsin, 12 from California, 10 from Iowa, eight from North Dakota and six from South Dakota.
  • 15.3 percent of the class represent racial minorities
  • Six students are from Cancun, Mexico
  • 19 percent of the class are legacy students, meaning they have had a parent, grandparent or sibling attend Gustavus

New Student Orientation will take place from August 30 through September 2, and is focused on helping new students with the transition to Gustavus and helping them establish a sense of belonging in the Gustavus community. The schedule for orientation is available online.

Employees and students already on campus should keep the following information in mind on first-year student move-in day:

Parking & traffic: Anyone arriving on campus between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. should allow additional time for travel and parking around campus and should avoid College Avenue if possible, as more than 600 new students will be arriving via the College’s main entrance. Traffic will be directed by College personnel at each entrance; failure to obey personnel will result in citation. Also on Friday, August 30, at 11 p.m., the Lund Center Parking Lot will be closed to faculty, staff, and students and will reopen for campus parking following the First-Year Orientation square dance event that will be held Saturday, Aug. 31, in the evening. Cars remaining in the lot on Saturday evening will be towed to a different lot at the owner’s expense.  Permit parking enforcement begins 7a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Visitor parking is always closed to students and employees and is always enforced.  If you have not registered for a 2013-2016 employee parking pass, you will need to do so and display a new valid permit by Sept, 3. Visit the Campus Safety web page at gustavus.edu/safety to register online through Aug. 30, or come to the Campus Safety office.

Lunch plans: The Marketplace and Evelyn Young Dining Room will be closed for lunch on Friday. Instead, a buffet lunch will be served in Lund Center from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. New students and their family members are complimentary but must present a ticket to eat, and those tickets are available either at the Information Desk or at the event entrance. Sophomore, junior, and senior students who are early arrivals should check in by name at the appropriate cashier station as they have been doing in the Marketplace. All college employees and/or other visitors should be prepared to pay the cashier, to charge to their employee account, or to charge to their own department with supervisor’s approval. Please contact Dining Service in advance with any questions or special circumstances.

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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510

 


3 Comments

  1. Karen Downs says:

    As a first year Mom who dropped her first born daughter off today, I just wanted to say how WONDERFUL and EXCITING the whole move in experience was for all of us, but especially my new “gustie” daughter! She is SO proud and SO excited to be a part of such a wonderful college and amazing group of people. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF THIS MOMS HEART for such slick and efficient move in day! and an extra BIG thanks to the Gustavus Football Team! They were a GOD SEND!

  2. Kim Walter says:

    No Kidding! I couldn’t agree more with Karen Downs. Moving our daughter in was so easy. The Gustie football players were great kids. Actually, every Gustie we met was great. We had a very positive experience which confirmed our feelings about Gustavus. We couldn’t be more proud of our daughter and her great choice! Thanks to everyone we met yesterday – and thanks in advance to everyone else.

  3. Sue-Ellen Booher says:

    WOW this was a great experience moving my daughter into her dorm. We met Gusttie greeters along the way–all so polite and friendly an excellent representation of what GAC is all about. We come from Vermont and my daughter feels safe, comfortable, and at home. This means so much to me–thanks to all of the GAC community. Even the coaches and swim team members came to her room to welcome her to college. It was an unbelievable day.