Shannon Pitcairn, left, a Slippery Rock University public relations major from New York City, and Catharyn Burton, a communication major from Erie, greet each other at Monday's Jump Start orientation. Jump Start teams first-year students with mentors and offers programs and social activities to ease the college transition process.

SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University’s annual Weekend of Welcome will kick off Thursday.

“We are expecting about 1,500 new students to be moving into the campus residence halls and about 800 students, faculty and staff volunteers are ready to assist them,” said John Bonando, assistant vice president for student services and co-chairman of this year’s WOW program. “This is our first chance to make an impression on newly arriving students and their parents.”

Fall semester classes begin at 8 a.m. Monday.

In addition to answering questions, WOW volunteers handle a variety of duties, including traffic flow and parking, providing water and light refreshments to new arrivals, making introductions and carrying box after box of personal belongings to the new students’ residence hall rooms.

SRU President Cheryl Norton and other campus administrators will mix and mingle with the new arrivals throughout the weekend.

A number of campus offices — parking, academic advisement — will offer extended operation hours throughout the weekend.

Campus dining facilities will open for full operations beginning with lunch Thursday. The SGA Bookstore will be open until 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Sunday and until 5 p.m. on Saturday. The store will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Aug. 28.

Transfer students and those living in SRU’s living-learning communities move into the campus residence halls Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Transfer orientation day activities take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Those new to the campus, including new freshmen, are scheduled to move in from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Students’ family members will have free use of the Aebersold Student Recreation Center until 8 p.m. during the move-in day.

Newly arriving students will be advised on how to avoid long lines at the dining hall or bookstore, how to find specific campus buildings and facilities and make use of Bailey Library and will be invited to join the Rock Pride Pep Rally at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 in the Mihalik-Thompson Stadium followed by a casino night in the ARC.

They also will attend mandatory meetings in their residence halls to learn about security and safety and hall procedures.

Saturday events include opportunities to explore the campus and purchase required textbooks. An 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. picnic barbecue is planned for the Bailey Library quad and the annual “Welcome to The Rock Party” will run 5 to 8 p.m. outside the residence hall complex followed by a Student Government Association-sponsored Bonfire and S’mores event outside Building F.

Returning upper-class students will move into campus residence halls Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

New students will be welcomed at an 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Greek carnival on Sunday on the quad, hosted by campus sororities and fraternities, and will have time to secure parking passes or make meal-plan contract changes throughout the day.