Community Engagement - Academic Year 2024-25

Dear Goucher Family and Friends,

Welcome to the 2024-25 academic year! Those of us in the Office of Student Engagement (OSE) are so excited to have students back on campus, and we cannot wait to share with them all the great opportunities to connect as a community this semester.

First up, we will welcome all new students on Saturday, August 17, at New Student Orientation! All new students, whether it is their first time in college, or they are joining us from another school, are asked to attend New Student Orientation. This is a prime opportunity for students to get to know one another, build some lasting relationships, and find out how the college works. During the process, students are put in groups and led by an upper-division peer who serves as their Goucher Guide throughout New Student Orientation. Goucher Guides also lead first-year students through the First Year Experience 134 course.

The last day of orientation brings an exciting Goucher tradition—Opening Celebration! Students wear T-shirts in their class color and parade to the Dorsey Center, where they are met with food trucks, music, and more. Hosted by our own Javin Dodd, a strength and conditioning coach in the Athletics Program, we’ll get your student hyped to start the semester.

Opening Celebration kicks off ;Welcome Week, a series of student-focused social programming that includes all aspects of campus life as well as a taste of Baltimore! Events include Target After Dark, a Baltimore Orioles game, roller skating, trivia night, and so much more. Students will also have the chance to learn more about clubs and organizations at the Involvement Fair on Wednesday, September 4.

The Office of Student Engagement stays in touch with your student through our brand-new multimedia platform, ENGAGE: Goucher. Student groups, departments, and offices can advertise and invite students to their various events through the platform. The Office of Student Engagement also sends a weekly newsletter outlining upcoming events, called What’s Happening?!

This year, the Office of Student Engagement celebrates the second year of a new tradition called Goucher Pride Fridays! We encourage staff, faculty, and students to wear their Goucher blue & gold every Friday throughout the academic year. There are also giveaways and opportunities for students to connect with campus partners. Students will receive information in What’s Happening?! about who will be co-hosting with us!

In collaboration with our programming board, the Student Engagement Team (SET), we are gearing up for Get Into Goucher (GIG) on Friday, September 13. GIG is an annual campus-wide event designed to celebrate the new year and takes place at the end of Welcome Week. This year’s event will have a Candyland theme, and there will be a variety of events throughout the evening to celebrate being a Goucher student, with live music, inflatables, food, and more. It’s our biggest event of the year—we hope your student will be there!

Lastly, the Goucher College Student Government Association (SGA) will continue key initiatives on campus. SGA understands the many costs associated with being in college, and they are committed to supporting your student’s success. For example, the Aunt Flow project provides free menstrual hygiene products to students in residential and public restrooms around campus. We also have a Textbook Assistance Program that we will email your student about soon. And, in November, we will send out information about our Break Transportation Assistant Program, which provides students with an Uber voucher to and from the airport or train station. None of this is possible without student input and involvement. If your student would like to join Student Government or has a concern they would like to share, please encourage them to reach out to SGA@goucher.edu.

Family and friends, we look forward to a great year in OSE; please encourage your student to get involved and connect with the Goucher College community. This is their home away from home, and we want to ensure they get the most out of their experience. Stay connected with us on Instagram (@goucher_ose) or via email at ose@goucher.edu.

With Gopher Pride,

Erica Gardner
Director of Student Engagement
Office of Student Engagement