Welcome Week 2025

Tuesday, August 12

7-9 p.m. Welcome Week Kickoff, Brown Ballroom, Bone Student Center
Join your fellow Redbirds for activities, walking tacos (including a vegetarian option), and music from the high energy St. Louis based cover band The Red Jackets. While grabbing dinner you can also enjoy yard games and other activities including balloon twisting. Get excited, because we're kicking off the year with a bang!

Wednesday, August 13

1-4 p.m. Fun in the Sun, Quad
Relax and enjoy activities celebrating summer. Listen to WZND, ISU's student-run radio station, while enjoying a Big Red Chair photo op, personalized decorative street signs & license plates, airbrush tattoos, and other activities! Rain location: Brown Ballroom, Bone Student Center.

9-11 p.m. Movie Night at CEFCU Arena: A Minecraft Movie
Join Illinois State Athletics for a movie screening at CEFCU Arena. Concessions will be available for purchase. Please note, no outside food or drink is permitted at CEFCU Arena. 

A Minecraft Movie
Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.

Thursday, August 14

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. You Can Work at ISU: A Student Hiring Event, Bone Student Center – 2nd floor concourse
Need a part-time job? Career Services has you covered! Don't miss this opportunity to apply for on-campus positions from departments like Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality, Campus Recreation, and University Housing Services. View all current on-campus student employment opportunities on the Human Resources webpage, and then meet with employers in person at the event. Laptops will be available to apply on the spot!

11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Milner Library Open House, Milner Plaza Entrance
Welcome to your library, Redbirds! Milner Library is excited to greet new and returning members of the ISU community and see you in the library. Join us for an open house to explore the library and discover what's new and what we have to offer you! Participants who visit all the open house stations will have their names put in a raffle for a library prize.

12-5 p.m. Front Yard Free-Cycle, First United Methodist Church Parking Lot (211 N. School St.) 
Redbirds REUSE! The Office of Sustainability and the ISU Share Shop are hosting a "Front Yard Free-Cycle". Gently-used clothing (including Redbird spirit wear!), shoes, accessories, dorm essentials, household supplies, small furniture items, books, and more will be available for FREE to ISU students. Visit the Front Yard Free-Cycle and get prepared for the fall semester!

1-4 p.m. Veterans and Military Services Office Open House, 110 Moulton Hall Veterans Student Center
Meet the staff of the Veterans and Military Services Office and other military-connected students, enjoy light refreshments, and receive your ISU Veterans and Military Services challenge coin.

3-6 p.m. Destination Uptown Scavenger Hunt, Center for Civic Engagement & Uptown Normal
Join the Center for Civic Engagement and Uptown Normal to get acquainted with your new community and explore all the potential Uptown Normal has for you - great food, entertainment, community resources, and employment near campus. Complete the scavenger hunt as you explore your new community, get freebies, and enjoy music in Uptown Circle from TyJon Charlie, the magnetic lead singer and songwriter of The Unemployed Architects. Start at the Center for Civic Engagement (300 W. North Street) and wind your way through Uptown.

5-7 p.m. Tiny Desk: Relationship Edition, Multicultural Center
Experience a Tiny Desk-inspired concert right here at the Multicultural Center. Between performances, join an open conversation about navigating relationships in college - from friendships to romance to grief to self-love. Whether you're a first-time student or just looking for fresh perspectives, this event offers music, real talk, and a supportive vibe.

6-8 p.m. Redbird Soccer vs Lindenwood, Adelaide Street Field
Illinois State Soccer hosts its regular season home opener. Doors open at 5 p.m. and admission is free!

6:30-7:30 p.m. Redbird Rally, CEFCU Arena
Come out to CEFCU Arena for contests, prizes, and free food. The first 200 students in attendance will receive pizza courtesy of Papa John’s. Hear from Division I head coaches Allie Matters, Kristen Gillespie, and Ryan Pedon at the first pep rally of the school year. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the first 10 students to purchase a Red Alert pass at the sales table will have the chance to compete in a half-court shooting challenge for a grand prize. Throughout the night, Athletics will be giving away plenty of Redbird swag, and you won’t want to miss performances by the Big Red Marching Machine, Illinois State Cheerleading, and the Redline Express Dance Team. Enjoy entertainment throughout the evening from the official DJ of Illinois State Athletics, DJ Smalls! Stop by the Young America tent for complementary Celsius & koozies! Stay in your seats following the Rally for the volleyball red & white scrimmage! 

8-9 p.m. Volleyball Red/White Scrimmage, CEFCU Arena
Catch the 23-time Missouri Valley Conference champion Redbirds as they take the court for the first time in 2025, led by head coach Allie Matters! 

Friday, August 15

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Fear the Bird Friday, Bone Student Center
Kick off Fear the Bird Fridays with Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality at the Bone Student Center. Enjoy snacks and music while participating in a variety of fun activities.

12-2 p.m. Water Balloon Battleship, Student Fitness Center Mini Quad
Join us for a splash-filled showdown! Inspired by the classic game of Battleship, teams will go head-to-head launching water balloons to sink each other’s “ships” (You are the ships!) in this fun and refreshing twist on strategy and aim. Cool off, compete, and enjoy the summer vibes — perfect for beating the heat and bonding with friends. All materials provided. Just bring your game face (and maybe a towel)!

1 p.m. Academic Showcase: Academic Department/School Meetings, various locations
Learn about the academic expectations of your department/school by meeting with representatives from those areas.

1-4 p.m. Veterans and Military Services Office Open House, 110 Moulton Hall Veterans Student Center
Meet the staff of the Veterans and Military Services Office and other military-connected students, enjoy light refreshments, and receive your ISU Veterans and Military Services challenge coin.

2-4 p.m. Multicultural Center Open House, Multicultural Center
Explore the Multicultural Center and discover your home away from home. Meet new people while you connect with student organizations like the Black Student Union, Association of Latin American Students, Asian Pacific American Coalition, and Pride. Drop in for activities, conversations, and a chance to see all the spaces and resources the Multicultural Center has to offer!

8-11 p.m. Welcome Week After Dark, Brown Ballroom & Circus Room, Bone Student Center
Spend your Friday night making Redbird memories. Check out the activities below.

Live Band Karaoke! - Brown Ballroom
Sing with a live band or watch your fellow Redbirds sing.. it's Live Band Karaoke!
Enjoy snacks at the nacho bar, get a caricature, and stuff an adorable plushie throughout the night.

Multi-DJ Dance Party with Headphone Disco - Circus Room
It's surreal, slightly outrageous, but most of all hugely enjoyable. Listen to DJs battle it out on the wireless headphones, and rotate between channels to control your dancefloor experience.

Saturday, August 16

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Back to School Poster Sale, Quad
Stop by to browse a deep selection of posters for purchase. The poster sale will be open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. every day through Friday, August 22. Sponsored by the National Art Education Association, Illinois State University student chapter.

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Football Red/White Scrimmage, Hancock Stadium
Watch the Illinois State Redbirds take the field.

2 p.m. Redbird Spirit Photo, Hancock Stadium - CANCELED DUE TO THE HEAT
This event has been canceled due to the heat.

8-9:30 p.m. Drag, Desserts, and Laughs, Brown Ballroom, Bone Student Center
Grab a rainbow cupcake and laugh along with your fellow Redbirds at the hilarious comedic talent of nationally known drag queens - Mrs. Kasha Davis & Miz Cracker.

Mrs. Kasha Davis
Mrs. Kasha Davis shares her coming out story, sobriety journey, and jazzy performance history sprinkled with her highly favored songs and "Dad jokes in a dress"! Her stories are relatable, and performances intertwine forgiveness, determination, motivation, and self-acceptance for audiences of all ages.

Miz Cracker
Miz Cracker is a New York City drag queen - and a writer, foodie, and comedienne. She launched her drag career in 2011 while participating in marches for marriage equality in Times Square. Today, she tours the world with her one woman shows; delights fans on her YouTube channel; lectures on drag at top universities; writes for publications like Slate, ArtForum, Vice, and GQ; and engages nearly 1.5 million followers across social media.