On Friday, May 3 the 2019 Spring Quarter iteration of the Wildcat Success Day took place on the SURC East Patio.  The event had two lines of tables set up parallel from one another, with each table or connected set of two tables representing a different department that acts as a resource for both incoming and returning students alike.

Underneath a lightly clouded sky and amidst a warm breeze, students passed by and interacted with tables representing such student resources as the CWU Tutoring Center, Exploratory Advising, University Housing and Financial Aid, among others.  At these tables students could ask general questions about the respective department, as well as give feedback regarding previous experiences with the corresponding department. Most of the tables offered informational handouts and fliers regarding their departments, while others offered cupcakes and other sweets.  Some offered promotional mugs, pins and pens, while others offered larger items such as lanyards or t-shirts.

Some of these departments allowed students to simply come up and take one each of the items on the tables, while others asked students to either take a brief survey or engage in a dialogue concerning the given department before offering up their snacks or promotional items.

The Wildcat Success Day event was organized and overseen by the university’s Orientation & Transition Programs, which also oversee all of CWU’s orientation events, as well as related ongoing initiatives. Representatives of the Orientation & Transitions Programs at the Wildcat Success Day included Director John Mounsey.  Mounsey said that the hope of this event and other related events is to make sure students get access to the resources that they need during their academic stay at CWU.

An undergrad intern for the Orientation & Transition Programs, Alana Jacobs, added that these Wildcat Success Day events happen once a quarter, usually in the second half. Jacobs said they also hoped to alert students of any new events and resources or expected changes in the upcoming quarters, so students could factor in these elements into their decision to either leave or return to CWU after any given quarter.