HERE THEY COME!
NUMEROUS ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES AWAIT U.VA. STUDENTS 

	In a tangle of suitcases, computers, clothes hampers -- and
nervous excitement -- about 2,960 first-year students will move into
their residence halls during "Opening Day" Saturday, August 30, at the
University of Virginia. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. "greeters," U.Va.
upperclass students wearing charcoal gray T-shirts, and University
police will be on hand to assist families as their sons and daughters
move into the residence halls located along McCormick and Alderman
Roads. 

	University police estimate that with the influx of upperclass
students and their families, between 12,000-15,000 people and
5,000-6,000 cars will be involved in the moving-in-process on
Saturday. About 6,000 students will move into residence halls before
classes start Sept. 3; another 12,000 will be moving into apartments
and houses throughout the area. 

New Addition to Orientation

	For the first time, U.Va. will hold a Parents' Welcome as part
of orientation. Vice President for Student Affairs William Harmon and
dean emeritus Raymond Nelson will address parents from 1 to 1:30 p.m.
on Saturday, Aug. 30, on the Lawn, in front of the Rotunda. (Rain
cancels.) Parents also will attend small group meetings around Grounds
from 2 to 3 p.m. to learn about academic requirements and campus life. 

	Throughout orientation, students will engage in a variety of
academic and social events. For example, they will take language
placement tests, gain academic counseling and attend sessions on
e-mail, commuter connections and technology.

	 New students will be encouraged to attend "Grounds for
Discussion," a series of skits that portray academic and social
situations students may encounter while at U.Va.  After watching the
skits in large groups in Old Cabell auditorium, students will meet
about a week later in small groups in the residence halls to discuss
the issues raised in the skits.

Contributing to the Community

	First-year and transfer students will be introduced to the
rewards of community service on Saturday, Sept. 6, through S.E.R.V.E.
Students will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Student Activities Building
before heading to 10 sites in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
The students will engage in a variety of projects such as house
painting, clearing a nature trail and designing play activities for
children. Among the volunteer sites are the YMCA, Ivy Creek Nature
Park and Albemarle Housing Improvement Program.  Faculty members are
invited to participate. 


	A Community Service Fair will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6,
from 1 to 3 p.m. in the O-Hill Community Dining Room. Numerous
organizations from the University, Charlottesville and Albemarle
County will have displays describing volunteer opportunities.

	For more information on the above events, contact Michelle
Samuels, assistant dean, Dean of Students Office, at 924-7133. 

FIRST-YEARS FIND NEW HOME IN RESOURCE CENTER 

	New students confronting a myriad of ideas and choices at
U.Va. will find a welcoming home at the First-Year Resource Center.
Located in Cauthen House in the heart of the Alderman Road residence
hall complex, the center provides information about University
resources, services, workshops and speakers.  It's also a place
students can go to find understanding if they're experiencing a
problem.

	The U.Va. Women's Center, in collaboration with Student
Health's health promotion department, the Office of African-American
Affairs and the Institute for Substance Abuse Studies, opened the
center last year with funds from a Parents Program grant. About 1,200
students were assisted by the center last year.

	One of the most valued aspects of the center, students say, is
the opportunity to interact with upperclassmen. Consequently, the
center will increase the number of student volunteers; last year 80
students staffed the center.

	"Upperclass students are close enough to the first-year
experience to remember the excitement, the loneliness and the desire
to find a niche and new people and ideas to explore," said Women's
Center Director Sharon Davie.

	Students will serve as project directors for the center's main
areas of concentration, which include an art gallery, mentoring,
resource collection, social and academic programs and programs related
to health, diversity and relationships.  The center's art gallery will
showcase the work of students and community artists.

	With funding from the Provost Office and Vice President for
Student Affairs, the center's collection of books, films and videos
addressing students' personal development will increase this year. 

	Organizers plan to expand faculty involvement through a
faculty fellows program similar to those in the University's
residential colleges.


	For more information on the center, contact Sharon Davie at
982-2361. (Students interested in staffing the center should contact
Chrissy Dempsey in the Women's Center at 982-2551.) Television
reporters should call our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.

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Aug. 26, 1997