2024 Workshops
A series of exploratory workshops are provided to all First Summer students regardless of their courses. These workshops allow students from different classes to come together to experience a broad range of academic fields and diverse activities intended to help them prepare for college both academically and socially. Students will have the option to select which workshops they would like to participate in. These workshops are aligned with the core values taught through their FYE: Identity, Community, Self-efficacy & Autonomy, Intellectual Curiosity, and Self-Reflection.
Students are required to attend AT LEAST 2 workshops by the end of the program, but they may participate in as many as they wish beyond that. Some workshops are offered multiple times to ensure students can take their desired workshops.
Workshops will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00-11:30am. Descriptions and student registration can be found below
2024 Socials
Social programs are a chance for students to build and find community on campus prior to the fall so they can feel a strong sense of belonging prior to start of their first full semester at UConn. They are an optional and supplemental part of the program, but these social programs are essential to the mission of UCFS. Students will be offered a broad range of opportunities to socialize from invitations to play volleyball or to study sessions in the Werth lounge to a Stuff-a-Husky event with Karaoke. These programs introduce students to both fun and safe ways to spend their free time on & around campus.
Check out the below major social events we have planned for you this year!
Week 1: Identity
Workshop: Promoting Mental Health
Description:
This informative and interactive workshop increases participants' knowledge of the range of mental health resources on campus and helpful self-care and stress management strategies.
Facilitator: SHAW (Student Health & Wellness)
Date: Tuesday, July 9th
Time: 10:00-11:30
Location: MCHU 110
Workshop: START a Conversation
Description:
The START a Conversation program aims to get the participants discussing a wide range of topics surrounding social issues wherein people can be physically or emotionally harmed. The conversations are guided by videos of scripted scenarios as they relate to strategies to intervene on behalf of one another to create a safer, more respectful society. Participants will watch clips from ABC’s ‘What Would You Do’ and then engage in facilitated discussion about intervention strategies in a safe, culturally aware and diverse environment.
Facilitator: UCPD (UConn Police Department)
Date: Thursday, July 11th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: ROWE 132
Social: Husky Huddle
Description:
Think you’re the only ones on campus this summer? Think again! Huskies are all around you! In this social event, we bring together three of UConn’s major summer programs for incoming first-year students: BRIDGE, CAPS, & UCFS. Husky Huddle is not just about games, food, and our popular stuff-a-husky activity; it's a chance to forge lasting friendships right from the start of your UConn journey. Whether you're looking to expand your social circle or meet potential lifelong friends, this event is the perfect setting to kick off your college experience in style.
Don't miss out on the excitement and camaraderie of Husky Huddle! Get ready for an afternoon of laughter, games, and making memories that will last a lifetime.
Date: Sunday, July 14
Time: TBD
Place: TBD
SIGN-UP HERE
Week 2: Community
Workshop: Community Impact & Change
Description: This exhibition invites you to learn to see the effects of climate change in our daily lives by examining natural phenomena in works of art. How might the scene in a 19th century painting look different today, and how could the scene in a 20th century photograph look different in the future? Curated with Robert Thorson, Professor of Earth Sciences at UConn. This exhibit embodies the impact community can have both positive and negative and invited viewers to consider how their identity can contribute to a community and what change they would like to make.
Facilitator: Benton Museum of Art
Date: Tuesday, July 16th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: Benton Museum of Art
Workshop: Community Outreach
Description:
Community Outreach’s mission is to enrich learning at the UConn through preparing students to be active global citizens by engaging them in service activities that enhance the quality of life for both others and themselves. The following student-led programs are offered by UCCO
- One-time service programs that meet self-identified community needs
- Alternative Breaks to engage in both travel and in-service of national & global communities
- Leadership positions working with the student body as well as the community at large
Facilitator: UCCO (UConn Community Outreach)
Date: Thursday, July 18th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: TBD
Social: UConn Unite
Description:
Get ready to celebrate togetherness at UConn Unite! UConn Unite showcases the vibrant community spirit of UConn, proving that being on campus doesn't mean being far from those who matter most. Each UCFS student can bring 1-2 of their closest friends and/or family to campus to indulge in festive tattoos, tie-dye making, and extreme inflatables! This is a great opportunity to share your college experience with loved ones and create cherished memories together.
Date: Saturday, July 20
Time: 1-4pm
Place: TBD
SIGN-UP HERE
Week 3: Autonomy
Workshop: How Major is your Major
Description: Anxious about choosing a major? Feel like you’re in the wrong major? Worried about how certain majors lead to careers? This workshop explores FACT vs FICTION when it comes to choosing a program of study.
Facilitator: ACES (Academic Center for Exploratory Students)
Date: Tuesday, July 23rd
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: ROWE 132
Workshops: Strategies for Deeper Learning
Description: Have one go to strategy to study? Want more in your tool belt? This presentation will discuss methods to approach your coursework.
Facilitator: AAC (Academic Achievement Center)
Date: Thursday, July 25th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: ROWE 132
Social: Dive-In Theater
Description: A favorite event at UCFS, Dive-In Theater is as it sounds: a social event where you can swim around with your new besties and watch your favorite movie at the same time!
Date: Friday, July 26th
Time: TBD
Place: TBD
SIGN-UP HERE
Social: Night Out on the Town
Description:
There is so much to do on campus, but also so many opportunities off campus as well. To give you a sneak peek at the freedoms that come with having a car on campus might entail, we have equipped our SMs with vans to take you... anywhere! Here are our pre-approved and popular locations near campus.
- Eastbrook Mall in Manfield
- Bucklands Hills Mall in Manchester
- Hikes (Mansfield Hollow, Nipmuck, Pixie Falls, & Wolf Rock)
- Mansfield Drive-in Theater
- Lucky Strike Lanes
Date: Saturday, July 27th or Sunday, July 28th
Time: TBD
Place: TBD
SIGN-UP HERE
Week 4: Curiosity
Workshop: Makerspace Fun
Description:
At nearly 1,500 square feet, the UConn Innovation Zone is the first official Makerspace at UConn. By providing the necessary materials, equipment and guidance, the Innovation Zone creates an environment where UConn students can bring their ideas from conception to reality. Upon completion of the appropriate safety training, students have access to the prototyping equipment including 3D printers, vinyl cutter, table and band saws, laser cutter, hand tools, as well as the textile and electronics stations within the space. This workshop will introduce students to new and innovative topics they may not otherwise experience. The ultimate goal of the Innovation Zone is to inspire creative and innovative thinking while providing a hands-on learning environment that encourages innovative design, prototyping, collaboration, problem solving and entrepreneurship.
Facilitator: Innovation Zone
Date: Tuesday, July 30th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: Innovation Zone (Werth)
Workshop: Multicultural Trivia
Description:
The Cultural Centers/Programs at the University of Connecticut serve as vital resources supporting students' social, behavioral, and cultural needs. They also provide an important resource to the broader UConn community as a central reference for issues and historical context related to the demographic group represented by the center. The Cultural Centers/Programs also work collaboratively to bring light to issues that face the community of underrepresented populations at UConn. In this workshop, students will get to interact with several cultural center representatives through casual and critical conversation and enjoy some light trivia (with prizes!) together.
Facilitator: UConn Cultural Centers
Date: Thursday, August 1st
Time: 10:00-11:30
Place: ROWE 132
Social: Adventure Park
Description:
Found in the heart of Connecticut, the aerial adventure park in Storrs boasts acres of rope courses and ziplines that wind, twist and turn through the surrounding scenic nature. Come to our zipline course in CT if you’re looking for a real sense of adventure! Climb through the forest on both low-rope and high-rope courses while discovering the intertwined ziplines that will really get your heart racing and adrenaline pumping. There’s guaranteed excitement waiting for everyone!
UCFS is reducing the cost for all UCFS participants. Tickets normally priced at $56, will be $20/climber.
Date: Saturday, August 3rd
Time: 5-8pm
Place: Adventure Park
SIGN-UP HERE
Social: Night Out on the Town
Description:
There is so much to do on campus, but also so many opportunities off campus as well. To give you a sneak peek at the freedoms that come with having a car on campus might entail, we have equipped our SMs with vans to take you... anywhere! Here are our pre-approved and popular locations near campus.
- Eastbrook Mall in Manfield
- Bucklands Hills Mall in Manchester
- Hikes (Mansfield Hollow, Nipmuck, Pixie Falls, & Wolf Rock)
- Mansfield Drive-in Theater
- Lucky Strike Lanes
Date: Saturday, August 3rd or Sunday, August, 4th
Time: TBD
Place: TBD
SIGN-UP HERE
Week 5: Reflection
Workshop: Working with the WC
Description:
The Writing Center is a welcoming space where students and tutors collaborate on writing projects. They believe all students are writers, and they invite them to bring in any type of writing—academic, civic, personal, and multimedia texts—at any stage in the composing process.
In this workshop student-writers should arrive ready to engage with their final projects/essays for the summer session while peer tutors ask questions, listen actively, respond to individual needs, and foster strategic revision. Their practices prioritize long-term growth and aim to expand each writer’s capacity to make intentional and reflective choices.
Facilitator: Writing Center
Date: Tuesday, August 6th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: ROWE 132
Workshop: Puppy Therapy!
Description:
Life at the University of Connecticut can be exciting, overwhelming, and complicated. Sometimes all three in one day. For this reason, we would like to use our final UCFS workshop to offer one of SHAW’s most popular services: Pet Therapy!
With a range of well-trained dogs and uber-kind handlers, this is a can’t-missed event. SHAW offers these services regularly throughout the semester and, most importantly, during finals weeks within the library.
Facilitator: SHAW
Date: Thursday, August 8th
Time: 10:00-11:30am
Place: ROWE 132
Social: End-of-Program Celebration
Description: Hosted by UCFS in the Werth 6th floor lounge, we will all come together one final time to celebrate your accomplishments and look ahead to the fall semester. A job well done!
Date: Friday, August 9th
Time: 6-8pm
Place: Werth 6th Floor Lounge
Program Dates:
July 7 - August 10, 2024
Applications:
Open from: April 8 - June 16, 2024
Other Important Dates:
Move-in date: July 7, 10:00 am
Move-out date: August 10
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