IC News

Ithaca College welcomed 2,460 students to South Hill at the start of the Spring 2021 semester, with a total of 5,264 students enrolled. Those students will have plenty of time throughout the month to re-connect with classmates in person — or connect with them for the first time — during the college’s Spring Welcome events, which kicked off on Feb. 5 and feature three more weeks of in-person and virtual events for all students.

In the first week of programming, students had the opportunity to gather around fire pits while still at a safe distance from each other in groups of five to make s’mores — a recurring event throughout the month.

Anne Culbert ’24 attended the s’mores event — which required social distancing and mask-wearing — hoping to meet some new friends. When another student joined her at the fire pit, they struck up a conversation and decided to get breakfast together the following morning.

“I think the event was a great way to help people meet each other,” Culbert said. “The s’mores were also really good!”

Erin Shaw ’22 also attended the s’mores event and was grateful for the chance to mingle with others outdoors.

“It’s great for first-year students who don’t know as many people around campus,” she said. “I’m excited to take part in other events and have a great time this semester.”

Other events in the first week included Tune in with the Towers, a virtual game where students came together over zoom to share their favorite music and play “Guess That Song;” and Virtual Swag Bingo, where students could win IC gear.

Socially-distanced, outdoor campus tours are also available throughout the month, something Lindsay Amor ’24, said she was looking forward to in order to get her bearings on campus.

“I'm excited to take a tour and learn more about where things are,” she said. “It's cool that we’re able to do something like this safely.”