The 2022 edition of the Laker Launch program –- welcoming the newest students into the SUNY Oswego family –- will return starting Tuesday, Aug. 16. 

The Office of Student Orientation and Family Engagement coordinates almost a week’s worth of activities to help our incoming Lakers learn more about college life and their new home.

Move-in Day for incoming first-year students and transfers is Tuesday, Aug. 16 (with the exception of Johnson Hall residents, who will move in Monday, Aug. 15). Laker Launch activities will start the evening of Aug. 16 and continue throughout the week.

“Laker Launch provides an exciting opportunity to truly prepare our new Lakers for their experience at Oswego,” said Justin Dickerson, director of Student Orientation and Family Engagement. “Hosting these programs right before the first day of classes allows our students to get a sense of what being a Laker is all about.”

Dickerson emphasized the role of Laker Links, current students who serve as guides during Laker Launch, as the key to the program’s success. “This year we doubled the number of Laker Links we had last year to ensure our incoming Lakers can build one on one connections with these student leaders,” Dickerson noted.

Throughout the program, students will participate in activities as well as presentations from various offices including the Office of the Dean of Students, Health Services, the Counseling Services Center and many more. Dickerson cited collaboration with these offices as another important aspect of the program’s success. 

“These campus partners are so excited to meet our new students, and bring so much enthusiasm and creativity to their presentations,” Dickerson said. “We are so grateful to the many campus offices that take the time to work with these incoming students.

Topics covered during daytime sessions include inclusivity and belonging, how to succeed in a new classroom environment, community support and responsibilities, health and wellness, advising, opportunities to learn more about the campus environment, and a campus job fair.

The Welcoming Torchlight Ceremony at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, will culminate the more structured part of the schedule with the time-honored tradition of officially connecting the college’s newest students with the Oswego family. The annual Welcome Picnic, 5 to 7 p.m. in the Academic Quad, and a Pre-Torchlight Party, sponsored by the Student Association Programming Board, starting at 7 p.m. in the quad and the South Lawn, will precede the ceremony.

Other evening activities welcoming the incoming class will include:

  • 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16: Whiteout Welcome, an introduction to Oswego campus traditions and a welcome to the Laker family in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall
  • 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17: Rec The Night, an evening of fun, games, giveaways and food sponsored by Campus Recreation on Lee Hall fields
  • 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18: Paint the Road Green and Gold, the start of a new campus tradition to paint the Marano Campus Center bus loop green and gold
  • 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18: SAPB Presents Erin Jackson (comedian who has appeared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," "Conan," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and more) and Joyelle Nicole Johnson (HBO’s “Crashing” and currently the warm-up comic for Hasan Minhaj’s “Patriot Act” on Netflix) in Tyler Hall's Waterman Theatre

Laker Launch wraps up on Saturday, Aug. 21, with Taking Care of Business, where Laker Links help connect new students with attractions and services in the Oswego community before dinner from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m in the residence halls.

For more information, visit the Laker Launch website.