Shippensburg University’s First Year Experience (FYE) program welcomed back University 101 students on Jan. 21 with a pizza party to kick off the spring semester.

The party was held in CUB MPR A and reunited individuals after winter break with other students, faculty and their peer anchors.

“All incoming students take University 101, and a lot of those classes build a really strong community,” said Alex Karlheim, director of Academic Entry and Veterans Benefits. “When they come back in the spring, they’re no longer enrolled in University 101.”

Karlheim explained the importance of an event like this for students. She said it is good for students to come together and see each other, along with faculty and their peer anchors from the previous semester.

On-campus wellness resources were also present to support students for the duration of the afternoon, including the Learning Center, Dining Services, Department of Recreation, Connection AOD Program and the Pride and Gender Equity (PAGE) Center.

“If [students] have new year’s resolutions, they want to start using Ship Rec more or reach out to learning services, they can… learn while connecting with their peers,” said Karlheim. 

For many students, a highlight of the afternoon was reconnecting with their peer anchors from the fall semester.

Peer anchors are undergraduate upper-class students who serve as mentors to FYE students to guide them through their first semester and beyond. Karlheim said even some students continue to mentor unofficially after their time as a peer anchors because of how strong their connections with students are.

“It is our promise to incoming students and first-year students that they don’t have to acclimate to the university by themselves,” said Karlheim. “It really gives students an opportunity, a safe space in an academic setting, to learn all of the skills they need to be successful at the university.”

For more information about FYE and their events, visit their Instagram @ship_fye. 

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