Last year was a year that most will never forget. It is well known that COVID-19 had a negative impact on the world. In relation to schooling, many students missed out on important events such as New Student Orientation, face-to-face classes and many other events that are a staple to the student experience. For those who were freshmen last year, many of them admitted that it was quite difficult to not only transition into college, but to transition into a new way of learning in order to follow social distancing requirements. “All of my classes were moved online and I felt that I wasn’t able to connect very well with my teachers and peers. I felt that it was harder to process the material and that contacting professors became much harder,” said Hannah Allen, who is now a sophomore majoring in Elementary Education at Idaho State University. Although COVID made it difficult last semester, many new events and resources are made available this year to engage students and make up for some of what was missed. 

On a typical year, many universities have numerous welcoming events and resource fairs to help new students transition. At Idaho State University, the first week of school typically includes the “Bengal Welcome Week”, which is essentially a week of fun activities to engage students and welcome them back to campus. At the beginning of the first week, an event called March Through the Arch took place, which is where new students walk through Swanson Arch to symbolize a new journey to higher education. When those students graduate, they exit through that arch again as alumni. 

Many other events and activities are coming up this September that are aimed towards professional development or to have fun and win prizes. A popular event for students is Bengal Wednesday, where Bengal gear is handed out to students usually near the Pond Student Union. Other UROAR activities include games, parties, workshops and more. To know what events are happening, Idaho State has an event listing calendar. The College of Business is running multiple events this September as well, which we’ve listed below.

• Resume Round-up | Sept. 1

• Etiquette & Networking Dinner | Sept. 8 | RSVP

• College of Business Career Fair | Sept. 16

• Meet the Firms | Sept. 16

• Virtual Accounting Career Vision Symposium Panel | Sept. 17

Since we still have COVID precautions on campus, courses or your mental health can be difficult to get through. Fortunately, Idaho State has resources to help you when times are tough. The Counseling and Testing Center provides mental health help and is one of the best places to go for advice. Students should also consider visiting with their primary advisor, who is a great person to talk to for advice on courses and academic planning. Other popular resources include university tutoring, plus the Career Center when it comes to courses and job support. 

A new feature that Idaho State is now offering is the Navigate Student app (also referred to as ISU Navigate) for freshmen and sophomores. This app is made to help you connect with campus resources to further your success. It is available to download in your Apple or Android App Store or can be accessed through your desktop. You login with the username and password you use on Bengal Web and start by answering a few survey questions. Features inside the app are the following:

• To-Dos: Lists important dates, appointments, and events
• Appointments: Allows you to schedule or view upcoming appointments with your academic advisor
• Study Buddies: Helps you find classmates to study with
• Resources: Lists a wide array of support offices available at ISU
• Holds: Details any holds on your record that might prevent you from registering
• Class Schedule: Provides views of your current class schedule

Unfortunately, we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and not everything is back to the way it used to be pre pandemic. We highly recommend that all students get vaccinated as soon as they can and for those who will or already have, Idaho State is awarding $100 cash. This cash is in the form of a voucher to be redeemed at the Cashier’s Office. Redeeming your voucher will also put you into a weekly drawing of bigger prizes such as $500, $1000 and more. Students can get vaccinated on campus at on-campus vaccination events or bring their vaccination card to a table in the Student Union building on September 7 - 9. To learn more about “Vax Cash,” visit this link here.