The Fall 2025 semester kicked off with the weeklong New Seawolf Welcome, a week’s worth of festivities that provided the newest members of the Stony Brook University community and their families the chance to explore all that SBU has to offer.
Packed with student-focused activities, New Seawolf Welcome is aimed to get students more comfortable being on campus, as well as integrating their families into the college experience. For most, the week signified an important milestone as students were introduced to their first experience on their own, and families wished their loved ones well as they began their journey as Seawolves.
The week began on August 18 with the first of two move-in days for first-year students. Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith was joined by many university staff members and students who helped the newcomers unpack and move in to the dorms.
Each move-in day featured a Welcome Family BBQ on the Staller Steps, along with information stations across the Academic Mall introducing new students to a wide range of both on-campus and off-campus activities. Local businesses also took an opportunity to welcome students and introduce themselves.
“It’s great being back here,” said Stony Brook alumnus Cory Montijo ’20, representing Wegman’s, a local supermarket in Lake Grove, three miles from campus. “Just being on campus again and being here on the academic mall reminds me of so many times I spent out here on campus. It’s surreal coming back representing Wegman’s and seeing the other side of it and reaching out to all the bright-eyed students coming in.”
Students took advantage of tables of valuable information from every corner of Stony Brook.
“It’s great to do an event like this,” said Stephanie Van Rossem, a nurse practitioner with Student Health Services. “It provides outreach for the students so that they know the services that are available to them here. It’s so important. A lot of the times students come here and aren’t aware of all the amazing things that we have for them to offer. These tabling events are a perfect opportunity to show them.”
“Welcoming students back this week has been fun, exciting and informative,” said Isobel Breheny-Schafer, assistant director for Student Media and general manager of WUSB, Stony Brook’s FM radio station. “My student staff and I met so many students and their families from all walks of life. Sharing what our department of student community development does along with the student media office and WUSB radio station and having discussions about becoming a part of the Seawolves community through ‘Belonging at the Brook’ sessions helped create a sense of connection with our new and our returning students.”
New Seawolf Welcome serves as a vital onramp for incoming students, easing their transition into Stony Brook University life. By introducing them to campus resources, academic expectations, and the broader university community, the week set a template to reduce anxieties about starting college, build a strong foundation for academic success, and begin forging the friendships with fellow students taking the same journey.
The week also included a variety of events — from the new student and transfer student convocations to Community Service Day, workshops on navigating life at Stony Brook, and Wolfie’s Welcome Celebration on Saturday in the Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium parking lot.
In addition to mandatory workshops, Stony Brook put together optional events that ranged from fitness classes to arts and crafts, giving students an opportunity to make new friends and meet people that have common interests.
“Welcome Week is an important part of successfully transitioning our new Seawolves to Stony Brook,” said Student Affairs Vice President Rick Gatteau. “This year’s welcome was filled with learning, community building, service, fun, spirit, and pride. We look forward to an exciting and memorable year ahead and encourage our Class of 2029 and new transfers to get involved in campus life and take advantage of all that Stony Brook offers.”
— Robert Emproto
View a photo gallery images from John Griffin and Rachael Eyler:
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