New students will begin arriving at St. Bonaventure University Aug. 21 for Welcome Days 2014, a four-day program hosted the weekend before classes begin.

Thursday, Aug. 21, is “A Day of Gathering.” New students will move into their residence hall during the day and then will officially be inducted into the Bonaventure family at the Candlelight Ceremony Thursday evening. The 9 p.m. program will be held on the steps of De La Roche Hall.

On Friday, Aug. 22, students participate in “A Day of Classes.” Presentations and activities will help them prepare for their first semester and outline expectations for Bonaventure students throughout their academic career.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, and Sunday, Aug. 24, students participate in “A Day of Service” and “A Day of Involvement.” The freshman class will participate in service activities in the surrounding community and on campus and attend workshops hosted by clubs and organizations on campus.

One of the service activities in particular will tie in with this year’s All Bonaventure Reads book, “The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change.” Adam Braun’s debut book chronicles his journey from high finance to founding a non-profit organization that has built more than 200 schools in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Freshmen have been asked to bring a donation of school supplies when they come to campus in order to create school packs for refugee children being served by Saint’s Place in Rochester. St. Bonaventure has partnered for many years with Saint’s Place, which assists refugees from war-torn countries seeking asylum in the United States. These legal immigrants arrive in Rochester through the Refugee and Immigration Department of the Catholic Family Center. 

“Like the children featured in ‘The Promise of a Pencil,’ these children know the value of an education and cannot wait to start school in the United States,” said Chris Brown, director of the university’s First-Year Experience program.

In another service project, students will partner with BonaResponds and its Warm Snuggly Blanket initiative, which is an ongoing project to deliver blankets and letters of support to people who are undergoing cancer treatments.

St. Bonaventure’s upperclassmen will begin arriving Aug. 23, and Transfer Student Orientation is planned for Aug. 24. Fall classes begin Monday, Aug. 25.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. We are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.