WOW, or “Week of Welcome,” at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo is a nationally recognized week-long new student orientation program that has been in operation for 50 years. This program is one of the largest student volunteer organizations in the country, with over 500 students trained to introduce incoming freshmen and transfer students to the Cal Poly campus and the San Luis Obispo community. <ref>http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/ori/wow/newstudents/options.asp</ref>

Background

"Week of Welcome", or WOW, is an organization that has evolved over the years at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in order to welcome the incoming freshmen class, as well as transfer students, to life on the Cal Poly campus and the greater community. The program works as such: new students who have registered for the orientation program in the summer before entering Cal Poly are assigned to a WOW group of around 20 new students and led by two WOW Leaders. These WOW leaders have been at Cal Poly for one year or more and have completed what the WOW Organization calls “Spring Training,” where they learn the ins and outs of what it means to be a WOW Leader. Once enrolled in “Spring Training,” the students are referred to as LITs, or Leaders in Training and commit themselves to 10 LIT meetings every Tuesday night of Spring Quarter at 7pm, as well as some outside workshops. A LIT graduates to a certified Orientation Leader at the discretion of their facilitators, the people who train the Orientation Leaders. Orientation leaders receive their list of "Wowies" (new student WOW participants) before the start of Fall Quarter and plan activities for the orientation week. WOW Week takes place the week before Fall classes begin.<ref>http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/ori/wow/leaders/index.asp</ref>

History

“Week of Welcome” was introduced in 1957 at California Polytechnic State University and was originally called “Welcome Week.” The original format was designed to provide on-campus leadership training to students from campus clubs, student government, and other campus groups. The program expanded with the population of the school, and new students were then organized into clubs of around 30 students and 4 advisors, each with a unique club name and personality.

In the beginning years of the program, the first half of “Welcome Week” was held in the city of San Luis Obispo, learning about the campus and the city itself. The second half was a 2-day retreat called “Welcome Round-Up Camp,” held at Camp Pinecrest and Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria, Ca. At the camp, students participated in a variety of activities in order to get acquainted with other new students in the program.

The current WOW format began in the 1960s. Program staples such as a set training time on Tuesdays at 7pm, a minimum G.P.A. requirement in order to be a WOW Leader, “Rooster Caps” were made mandatory for Leaders and participants and became tradition, and in 1961, two Leaders were assigned to each group of new students with excess leaders assigned to be the first members of Event Staff.<ref>http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/ori/wow/history/evolution.asp</ref>

WOW Training

Orientation Leaders

Event Staff

WOW Schedule

FAMOW

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Alternative WOW Groups

Non-Traditional Students

O.U.R.

WOW and Band Camp

An alternative option to a conventional WOW Group is to take part in WOW Band Camp. “The Pride of the Pacific,” is California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s marching band. In order to allow prospective band members to get to know one another, they have the option to enter this alternative program. They will be grouped together with other new students involved in the Mustang Marching Band, as well as have two Orientation Leaders who are in the band.<ref>http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/ori/wow/newstudents/options.asp</ref>