This schedule is subject to change and additional content so please check back regularly and get familiar with it. It is also mobile friendly! Please note sessions with an R, E, or W next to the location indicates if it is required, encouraged, or has a focus on Health and Wellness.
R-Required
E-Encouraged
W-Focused on Health and Wellness
MASKING WILL BE REQUIRED AT ALL INDOOR FIRST- DAYS SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES. CARRY A MASK WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. THIS IS FOR THE WELLBEING OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND EVERYONE APPRECIATES YOUR COOPERATION.
Tuesday, August 30 - Move-In Day
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am-12:00pm | Students Arrive at Pre-scheduled check in times (EphHelpers available to assist 8-11am) | Paresky Center |
| 10:00am-1:00pm | Community Resource Fair | Paresky Center |
| 11:00am-1:00pm | First-Year Family Lunch | Paresky Lawn |
| 11:30am-12:30pm | Campus Tour: Take a guided walk on the beautiful Williams campus, explore the landscape, academic and residential spaces, and learn more about the place our students call home. | Meet at Weston Hall |
| 12:00pm-1:00pm | Exploring Sacred Space Campus Tour: Come join students and chaplains for a tour of the Thompson Memorial Chapel and the Jewish Resource Center! See the places where the students hold worship and prayer services, spaces for hanging out, and celebrations. For more information contact the Chaplains' Office at 413-597-2483. | Steps of Chapin Hall - left side |
| 12:00pm-1:00pm | Parents of Varsity Athletes Meeting | Bernhard Music Center/Brooks Rogers |
| 1:00pm-1:30pm | GOODBYE HUGS! | |
| 1:30pm-2:30pm | Welcoming Families to Williams: Maud Mandel, President, Prof. of History Gretchen Long, Dean of the College, Frederick Rudolph Class of 1965 Prof. of American Culture Leticia Smith-Evans Haynes, Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | Chapin Hall (families only) Join via Zoom |
| 1:30pm-2:15pm | First Entry Meetings | Your Assigned Entry Space (students only) |
| 3:00pm-4:00pm | Campus Tours: Take a guided walk on the beautiful Williams campus, explore the landscape, academic and residential spaces, and learn more about the place our students call home. | Meet at Weston Hall |
| 2:30pm-3:45pm | VOICES #1 Group A - Community on Campus | Chapin Hall (R) AP1 AP2 AP3 AP4 MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 |
| 4:00pm-4:30pm | VOICES #1 Group A - Debrief | AP1 - Griffin 5 AP2 - Schow 030A AP3 - Schow 030B AP4 - Wach 015 MD1 - Griffin 7 MD2 - Wach 114 MD3 - Wach 017 MD4 - Wach 113 |
| 2:30pm-4:00pm | PARTY SAFER #1 Group B | '62 Center (R) Join via Zoom |
| 4:45pm-6:00pm | VOICES #2 Group B - Community on Campus | Chapin Hall (R) Sage1 Sage2 Sage3 Sage4 Tyler Annex Willy1 Willy2 Willy3 Willy4 |
| 6:15pm-6:45pm | VOICES #2 Group B - Debrief | Sage1 - Schow 030A Sage2 - Wach 015 Sage3 - Schow 030B Sage4 - Wach 017 Tyler Annex - Wach 113 Willy1 - Wach 114 Willy2 - Griffin 6 Willy3 - Griffin 7 Willy4 - Griffin 5 |
| 4:45pm-6:15pm | PARTY SAFER #2 Group A | '62 Center (R) Join via Zoom |
| 6:00pm-8:00pm | Community Building Night - First Dinner | Paresky Lawn |
| 6:00pm-9:00pm | Spanish Placement Test | Placement Info |
| 8:00pm-11:00pm | First Night Fest: Featuring ice cream, "Dunk the Dean" Dunk Tank, Bouncy slide, Lawn Games, Popcorn Stations, Puppies, Sustainable Water Bottle Giveaway, student resources and more! | Paresky & Sawyer Quad (E) (W) |
Wednesday, August 31
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-9:00am | Breakfast | Paresky Tent |
| 9:00am-10:00am | First Class Meeting Dean Walsh, Dean for First Year Students Maud Mandel, President, Prof. of History Gretchen Long, Dean of the College, Frederick Rudolph Class of 1965 Prof. of American Culture Leticia Smith-Evans Haynes, Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion JAAB - Sarah Dean ’23 & Taylor Braswell ‘23 FAST - Mohammad Faizaan '23 MinCo - Jaeeun Lee '24 and Chelsea Zhang '24 | Chapin Hall (R) Join via Zoom |
| 10:00am-10:30am | Meet the Deans What is the Dean's Office? What does a Dean do? | Chapin Hall (R) Join via Zoom |
| 10:30am-11:30am | Class Photograph | Sawyer Lawn (R) |
| 11:30am-1:00pm | Picnic on the President's House Lawn Grab 'n Go lunch, music, photo booth and presidential engagement! | President's House |
| 1:00pm-2:00pm | Speak About It Group A | '62 Center (R)(W) Join via Zoom |
| 2:30pm-3:30pm | Speak About It Group B | '62 Center (R)(W) Join via Zoom |
| 2:15pm-3:00pm | Speak About It Debrief Group A | AP1 - Griffin 5 AP2 - Schow 030A AP3 - Schow 030B AP4 - Wach 015 MD1 - Griffin 7 MD2 - Wach 114 MD3 - Wach 017 MD4 - Wach 113 |
| 3:45pm-4:30pm | Speak About It Debrief Group B | Sage1 - Schow 030A Sage2 - Wach 015 Sage3 - Schow 030B Sage4 - Wach 017 Tyler Annex - Wach 113 Willy1 - Wach 114 Willy2 - Griffin 6 Willy3 - Griffin 7 Willy4-Griffin 5 |
| 4:30pm | EphVenture Program Check Ins | Woolf: Field House ETA, WAI?, Root, Leading Minds: Paresky Porch |
Thursday Sept 1-Saturday Sept 3 - EphVentures
Sunday, September 4
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30-10:30 | Breakfast | Driscoll |
| 10:30am-2:00pm | Brunch | Whitmans' |
| 9:00am-9:45am | Swim for Fitness: with Carolyn Miles (Althetics). Learn how to add swimming to your fitness routine. Carolyn will offer feedback on strokes, but some familiarity with swimming is required. | Chandler Pool (E) (W) (limit 30) Sign up here |
| 10:00am-11:00am | Pop Up Yoga: Bring Your Own Mat Led by Tasha Yoga | Sawyer Lawn (unlimited) (E)(W) Greylock (rain limit 30) Sign up here |
| 11:00am-12:00pm | Comfort Food: When Homesickness Hits! Valerie Bailey Fischer, Chaplain to the College, Ninah Pretto, International Students Services, and student volunteers. Homesickness is the feeling of emotional distress when you’re away from home and in a new and unfamiliar environment. Join us as we discuss homesickness and how sharing traditional dishes from back home can be a comfort and one way to help ease homesickness. We will share some delicious treats, exchange recipes and learn about available kitchens on-campus and how to obtain food and ingredients in the local area. | Zilkha Center Kitchen & Patio (E)(W) (limit 20 plus a waiting list) Sign up here |
| 1:00pm-2:30pm | Post EphVenture JA/Entry Reunion | Your Entry Space (E) |
| 2:45pm-3:00pm | Dining Services-we're here to serve you! | Chapin (R) Join via Zoom |
| 3:00pm-4:00pm | Framing Community: Who are you? Where are you from? Have you examined how your privileges can impact others? How can you find a sense of inclusion and belonging at Williams? Please join the Davis Center to think through these questions together. Framing Community will discuss our identities in relationship to race, gender, sexuality, and other social group identities. | Chapin (R) Join via Zoom |
| 4:00pm-4:30pm | Connecting with Campus Safety Services | Chapin (R) Join via Zoom |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner - All Campus Picnic Misty Blues Band (live music) | Paresky Tent |
| 8:00pm | Catholic Mass | Thompson Memorial Chapel |
| 9:00pm-10:00pm | Bob Ross Guided Paint Night with the Area Coordinators The Area Coordinators invite you to paint some fluffy clouds, almighty mountains, and happy little trees for a Bob Ross paint-a-long event. We will be following along with a Bob Ross video to create a wonderful Mountain at Sunset that you can use to decorate your entry common room. Groups will consist of 4-5 people. There is limited space available, so make sure you sign up early! We will be raffling off the Bob Ross Joy of Painting Kit at the end of the event. | Paresky Tent (E) (W) Limited to 72 first-years only Sign up here |
Monday, September 5
| Time | Event | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-10:30am | Breakfast | Whitmans' | |
| 10:30am-11:30am | Wellbeing at Williams: Nurturing Heart + Mind + Body + Spirit Transitioning to college (in the midst of an ongoing pandemic!) can evoke a wide range of emotions. The therapists at Integrative Wellbeing Services are here to support you throughout your time at Williams. You’ll learn more about the variety of mental health services and offerings that are designed to foster wellbeing on all levels - heart, mind, body and spirit. | Chapin (R)(W) Join via Zoom | |
| 11:30am-2:00pm | Lunch | Whitmans' | |
| 2:00pm-3:00pm | Pop Up Yoga Bring your own mat Led by Tasha Yoga | Sawyer Lawn (unlimited)(W) Greylock (rain limit 30) Sign up here | |
| 2:00pm-3:00pm | Biology Placement Exam | Room TBL 112 | |
| 2:00pm-3:00pm | Music Placement Exam | Bernhard Room 30 Contact Ed Gollin at [email protected] with any questions. | |
| 2:00pm-3:15pm | Ballet Placement Exam | ’62 Center for Theater and Dance Studio, on the 2nd floor. Contact Janine Parker at [email protected] | |
| 2:00pm-3:30pm | Community Care is Self-Care: You're joining a new, place-based community for four years. Come chat with justin and Rebecca from Williamstown's Wild Soul River about how to build your circles of care and support, and everything from meditation and breath work to belonging. It will be the perfect mix of science and woo. | Griffin 4 (E)(W) Sign up here | |
| 2:00pm-5:00pm | IWS Open House Come visit the Integrative Wellness Services location. We welcome all students to come over, meet some team members, learn about our resources and services, and pick up some sweet swag! | Thompson Health Center - 105 The Knolls (E)(W) | |
| 3:00pm-4:00pm | Sleep Workshop with Laini Sporbert: It’s hard to understate the importance of solid sleep to your health and academic success. Get tips and tools for falling and staying asleep in a new environment and new routine. | Hopkins Hall 002 (E)(W) | |
| 3:00PM-4:30PM | Reclaiming Lost Histories: A Walking Tour of Campus With Artist Beatriz Cortez Art is integral to life at Williams and is important to the way we tell stories and provoke thought. Join WCMA, The Davis Center, and artist Beatriz Cortez for a walking tour that explores the lost histories of campus and discuss how these stories will be brought to life through public works of art. | Meet on the WCMA patio to begin the walk (E)(W) | |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner | Whitmans' | |
| 7:00pm-10:00pm | Library Mini-Golf: grab a few friends and test out your mini golf skills (no skills required) while familiarizing yourself with the spaces and other resources available to you in the Libraries. Our 9 hole course will take you throughout Sawyer library, and takes under 90 minutes to play. Sign up to reserve a time slot - we only have space for 13 groups of up to 4 players. We will do our best to accommodate individual walk-up players during the event. Questions or concerns? Email Hale: [email protected] | Sawyer Library (E) Sign up here | |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | Sustainable Sorbet Social: Join the Chaplains’ Office and the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives for a sorbet social! We’ll break up into small groups to talk about how faith can inform and sustain environmental action. Whether you associate with a particular religion, consider yourself spiritual but not religious, or don’t ascribe to any form of spirituality, we’re eager to have you there and hear your thoughts! | Class of 1966 Environmental Center Living Room (E) Limited to 35 Sign up here |
Tuesday, September 6
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-10:30am | Breakfast | Whitmans' |
| 10:30am-11:30am | Community and Connection: Chaplains Rev Valerie Bailey Fischer, Rabbi Seth Wax, and Bridget Power How do we build community and authentic connection at Williams on while we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, monkey pox and global unrest? How do these events and circumstances impact trust building and meaning making; essential elements in building community. In this session, the Chaplains and student leaders will speak to how we figure out what it means to be together, how we build relationships and community, and how we learn together as we try to figure out what it means to be a human being and member of a community. | Chapin (R)(W) Join via Zoom |
| 11:30am-2:00pm | Lunch | Whitmans' |
| 2:00pm-3:00pm | Looking Ahead to the Academic Life: Gretchen Long, Dean of the College, Frederick Rudolph Class of 1965 Prof. of American Culture G.L. Wallace, Office of Accessible Education Hale Polebaum-Freeman, Reference and First-Year Outreach Librarian María Fernanda Estrada, Student Co-Chair of the Academic Honor Committee | Chapin (R) Join via Zoom |
| 3:00pm-4:30pm | Academic Expo | Sawyer Library & Schow Library (R) |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner | Whitmans' |
| 7:30pm | Images Cinema: Enjoy a free movie with your new friends at Spring Street's classic independent cinema featuring the new release Three Thousand Years of Longing | Spring Street(E) capacity is limited to 75, no sign ups, arrive early |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | Purple Dragon Board Games: Visit our local gaming shop, find community around this shared interest. | Spring Street (E) |
| 8:00pm-9:30pm | Musical Bingo, Snacks, and Swag!: Food: Ice cream sundae bar! Scooped by the Admission and Student Financial Services team who can't wait to meet the awesome humans we only know on paper! Fun: Musical Bingo hosted by DJ Biz with PRIZES! Bingo begins at 8:15pm - come early for the best chance to win Williams blankets, hoodies, and other swag!! PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES: Door prizes for the first 100 people, Musical Bingo prizes, and raffle tickets for everyone to win MORE prizes! SO MUCH WILLIAMS SWAG! | Weston Hall, First Floor (E) |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | MAFIA in the Dark! Join us to play MAFIA in the Chapel Sanctuary in the dark! Players will be given one of three roles to play a game of real- life MAFIA in the dark! You do not need to be a part of any religious or spiritual RSO to participate—just bring yourself and your friends! Sponsored by the Chaplains' Office and the Religious and Spiritual Life Groups For more information contact Mohammad Faizaan (mzf1) and Charles Yang (cwy1). | Thompson Memorial Chapel The Chapel Sanctuary is located on the first floor of the Thompson Memorial Chapel (E), the large building with a tower next to Griffin Hall. (Limited to 30) Sign up here |
Wednesday, September 7
| Time | Event | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30am-10:30am | Breakfast | Whitmans' | |
| 9:00am-11:00am | Visit the Berkshire Health Systems Harm Reduction Van: Meet our friends from BHR who will have the harm reduction van on campus for free and confidential STI testing and overdose prevention information | Chapin Hall Drive Outside of Paresky (E)(W) | |
| 10:00am-11:00am | Cider Pressing: Join the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, the Sustainable Living Community and the International TAPSI house led by Abraham Paik and Jiwoo Han to learn how you get from apples to cider. | Class of '66 Environmental Center (E) (W) Held inside of Center if it rains Limited to 30 Sign up here | |
| 10:00am-11:00am | Music Placement Exam | Bernhard Room 30 Contact Ed Gollin at [email protected] with any questions. | |
| 10:30am-11:30am | Career Exploration Mix and Mingle-Kickstart Your Future! Join the ‘68 Center for Career Exploration staff for an interactive introduction to all we have to offer during your first year at Williams and beyond! During this session you will: Chat about your skills, interests and values. Learn about ‘68 Center resources. Walk away with actionable next steps for your career exploration process. It is never too early to connect with us! Stop by, mingle with peers, meet our staff, and leave with a better understanding of our services. | Paresky Auditorium (E) | |
| 11:30am-2:00pm | Lunch | TBD | |
| 11:30am-12:30pm | Pre-engineering meeting with Prof. Katherine Jensen | Thompson Physics (TPL) Room 205 | |
| 12:00pm-1:00pm | Wait, Where are the Weights? Introduction to the athletic performance center with Rob Livingstone. This session for non-athletes welcomes you to the space and orients you on how to use it to add strength and conditioning to your wellness practices, which is great for stress relief, long-term bone and heart health, and injury prevention. Note that this will not be an exercise class but an introduction to the facility. | (W) Lasell Gym: Enter through the lower level entrance on Spring Street (behind Tasha Yoga) and meet in the lobby. Sign up here | |
| 1:30pm-4:00pm | Academic Advising Meetings | Various campus locations with your advisor (E) | |
| 1:30pm-2:30pm | Writing Your First College Paper Come talk with the Writing Center Director about what’s expected in college-level writing, how it differs from high school writing, and how best to approach the writing process. | Paresky Auditorium (E)
Limited to 200 capacity, arrive early, this is a popular session | |
| 1:30pm-2:30pm | Pop Up Yoga Bring Your Own Mat Led by Tasha Yoga | Sawyer Lawn (unlimited)(W) Greylock (rain limit 30) Sign up here | |
| 2:30pm-4:30pm | Music Department Open House | Bernhard Music Center Audition and Placement Information | |
| 3:00pm-4:30pm | Let's Visualize it: A Vision Board Workshop Facilitators: Ninah Pretto, International Students Services, Christine Ménard, Head of Research Services and Library Outreach and student leader volunteers. Description: A vision board is usually a collage of images that represent goals and dreams. It can include cut-out pictures from magazines and words that help inspire you to manifest your dreams and get where you want to go. Let's come together to make our own vision boards for the year that we can hang in our dorm rooms for daily inspiration. You will also learn about the wonderful Fabrication Lab in Sawyer library, a space where you can use your hands to be creative and find stress relief from the rigors of life. | Fabrication Lab, Sawyer Library room 247 (W) (limited to 25) Sign up here | |
| 3:00pm-5:00pm | Sexpo Facilitators: Student peer educators from Peer Health and FemCo host a drop-in expo on all the sexual health topics you ever wanted to know about, from STI prevention to contraceptive options to consent and pleasure. | Schapiro 129 (W) (Room capacity is 40, arrive early) Join via Zoom | |
| 5:00pm-8:00pm | Dinner | Whitmans' | |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | Jamboree | Chapin (E) Join via Zoom |
Thursday, September 8 -Classes Begin!
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | Purple Key Fair | Towne Field House (E) |
Megamenu Social