Fairmont State University welcomes 900 incoming freshmen on move-in day

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Fairmont State University (FSU) as its students were officially welcomed to campus on Thursday for another school year.

Thursday was the first move-in day for students, kicking off the rest of its Welcome Week activities until the start of the academic semester.

Students and parents were assisted by staff and FSU student-athletes. After dorm rooms were set up, the university put on a Back to School Bash, board game night and soda float station in the Falcon Center.

FSU’s Associate Director of Student Engagement Justin Rader said that statistics show that students show high retention rates when they’re more engaged in campus activities within the first week of school.

“Making sure that our students feel supported and welcomed from day one really helps set a positive tone for the school year, and not only that but it really exemplifies our Falcon spirit here at the university. Just making sure that students are prepared, that they feel welcomed, that they feel supported and that really kicks them off to a good school year,” said Rader.

FSU is opening its dorms to about 900 new freshmen this semester, a record high for the school within the last five years.

“We’re just super excited about this year, we’ve put in a lot of time over the summer doing a lot of upgrades to Bryant Place, Prichard Hall, Pence Hall, even a few things to Marrow Hall, so when students come back today and this weekend, I’m excited for them to see some of the changes that we’ve made,” FSU’s Director of Housing and Residence Life Jeremiah Kibler said.

Fairmont State has also brought back its Welcome Week concert for the first time since the pandemic which will feature Pittsburgh cover band, Walk of Shame, who will play an array of different hits from the 80s to the early 2000s.

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