Volunteers Needed for K Week Activities

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 20, 2009) – K Week, the fall welcome week for new students, is one of the most exciting weeks of the year at the University of Kentucky. Hundreds of staff and faculty are directly involved in the planning and execution of K Week, but hundreds more volunteers are needed.

With dozens of opportunities to meet and greet UK's new students, UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. recently sent a message inviting all staff and faculty to participate in K Week events. "I encourage you to participate in one or more of our welcoming events, which are scheduled from early morning to late night," he said. A complete calendar of events can be found at www.uky.edu/KWeek.

The first chance UK staff and faculty members have to welcome students will be on Move In Day, helping unload their belongings from vehicle to cart or dolly and then leading them to the appropriate parking area and their respective residence hall.  In the past, UK Campus Housing has welcomed over 500 volunteers from staff, faculty and official student organizations, but this year additional help is needed to help students access their residence halls on north campus due to South Limestone construction.  Anyone interested in being part of this welcoming event, send a message to ukmovein@email.uky.edu.

A unique opportunity to be a part of the campus move-in experience is to partner with UK Dining Services to serve complimentary hot dogs and to keep the ice bins filled with bottled water. Serving others is a great way to show support for new students and their families.  To volunteer for a one- or two-hour commitment 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, contact DeWitt King at dwking1@uky.edu.

An informal Parent and Families Reception, scheduled 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at the Boone Center, enables families of new students to meet faculty, staff, administrators, veteran UK students, and UK Parent Advisory Council members. The Office of New Student and Parent Programs needs volunteers who can greet guests and answer any questions the families may have.  To volunteer for the Parent and Families Reception, email parents@lsv.uky.edu.

One of the largest community service projects in Kentucky, UK For Unity and Service in Our Neighborhoods (UK FUSION), is scheduled Monday, Aug. 24. Last year, more than 1,300 students, faculty and staff participated in UK FUSION, completed volunteer projects for 66 agencies, and contributed nearly 5,000 hours toward the betterment of Lexington.

"I challenge the university community to make the seventh annual UK FUSION bigger and better than ever before," said Todd.

Fifteen faculty/staff members are needed to assist in leading a group of students in the completion of a service project.  For more information, visit www.ukfusion.org, then volunteer by e-mailing fusion@uky.edu. 

UK recently launched the Common Reading Experience, a collaborative effort between New Student and Parent Programs in Student Affairs and Academic Affairs designed to introduce new students to academic life at UK. The goal is two-fold: first, to bring new students together for a common reading experience and introduce them to academic discourse prior to the start of classes; and second, to engage the entire UK community in a common intellectual experience through year-long programming. Faculty and staff are invited to sign up to be discussion leaders and co-lead small-group conversations about the common book, James McBride’s "The Color of Water." The group discussions are slated for 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25. To sign up as a discussion leader, please visit the Common Reading Web site at www.uky.edu/CommonReading or e-mail CommonReading@lsv.uky.edu.

We Are UK, which celebrates the uniqueness of the UK community, will be held 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, for all students, faculty and staff. This outdoor festival behind Memorial Hall will include a variety of free food from Kentucky and from around the world. There will be live performances ranging from hip hop to country, poetry to debate, and other random talents. The We Are UK planning committee is looking for students, faculty and staff to take part in these live performances. Both individual performers and groups are welcome, and any type of talent will be considered – musicians, poets, dancers, comedians, storytellers, orators, jugglers, artists and more. Anyone interested in participating can contact Jim Gilles at James.Gilles@uky.edu.