Lindsay France/University Photography

Volunteers direct traffic during Move-in Day 2012. This year, more than 100 events, including receptions, speeches, presentations, entertainment and outdoor activities, will greet new first-year and transfer students during Orientation Week, Aug. 23-27.

Ithaca’s population will grow by about 3,800 Aug. 23, when Cornell’s first-year and transfer students move onto campus. During Orientation 2013 Aug. 23-27, more than 100 events will introduce them to university life, from living in a residence hall, attending a concert or hiking a gorge, to dining in style or on the run – and, of course, to the full range of academic offerings that drew them here.

Hundreds of students and staff will help new students move into their residence halls and begin to find their way around Cornell.

“We want incoming students to become acclimated to the campus, make connections with peers and faculty members, and begin to navigate the university’s intellectual, cultural and social communities,” says Sarah Jones, assistant dean of students.

Move-in Day traffic, Aug. 23

To facilitate the flow of traffic on Move-in Day:
• Avoid driving on campus or arranging deliveries of equipment or supplies Aug. 23. Campus Road and the North and West Campus areas will be extremely congested, and special traffic patterns will be in place.
• Use TCAT buses and car pools. TCAT schedules can be found at http://www.tcatbus.com/.
• Jessup Road will be open only for move-in traffic.
• “A” Lot will be open only for new students and their parents.
• Garden Avenue between Campus Road and Tower Road will be closed 8 a.m.–5 p.m. during New Student Check-In at Barton Hall. Barricades, signs, and staff will be stationed at both ends of Garden Avenue to assist with traffic. Emergency access will be maintained at all times. Access to the parking lot between Barton Hall and ILR Conference Center will be maintained from Tower Road.

Aug. 23 events for new students and their families include the New Student Check-in, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Barton Hall, when students pick up their ID cards; tours of Uris, Olin and Kroch libraries; and a casual reception with President David Skorton, 4-5 p.m. on Rawlings Green. On Aug. 24, Skorton will formally welcome incoming students at the New Student Convocation, 8:45-10 a.m. at Schoellkopf Stadium.

Other orientation highlights:

• Dump and Run – the university’s “yard sale” of recycled furniture, clothing and electronics – will be held Aug. 24, 10 a.m-4 p.m., and Aug. 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at Helen Newman Hall; proceeds support local charities.
• “Cornell Essentials” sessions scheduled Aug. 24 between 5 and 9 p.m. at Bailey Hall will introduce new students to university resources and help them think through possible challenges. The program includes two films: “Real Students, Reel Stories,” with Skorton encouraging students to ask for help when they need it, and a new film, “Cheating,” addressing the ethical dilemmas and consequences that can arise from academic dishonesty.
• Aug. 24 entertainment events include a concert by the Cornell University Glee Club and Chorus, 6:30 p.m. in Sage Chapel; Casino Night, 10:30 p.m. in Duffield Hall Atrium for new transfer students; a “Great Migration” to Barton Hall for a performance by Tim Gabrielson at 11 p.m.; and Movie Night at Libe Slope at 12:30 a.m.
• Large-group presentations on the New Student Reading Project, Julie Otsuka’s “When the Emperor Was Divine,” will be held Aug. 25, followed by small-group discussions Aug. 26, both 3:30-5 p.m. at various locations.
• “Speak About It,” a performance-based presentation dealing with sexual consent, assault and misconduct, and bystander intervention, will be held in two sessions each evening, Aug. 25 at the Statler Auditorium and Aug. 26 at Bailey Hall.
• The Cornell University Block Party will be held Aug. 25, 5-8 p.m., at Mary Donlon Hall Circle, featuring the Gunpoets.
• The carnival-like “Big Red Blowout” will be held Aug. 26, 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m., at Barton Hall
• Explore! workshops will be held Aug. 27 by Cornell faculty members on such topics as the heat of chilies; the effects of genes on medical risks; race and segregation in America; art in the plant world; human behavior; eating meat; Hollywood’s influence; and social networks.
• Cornell promotes safe alternatives to gorge swimming by running free buses out to Buttermilk Park on the busy weekends of first-year orientation: Aug. 24-25 and Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Hiking maps for natural areas on Cornell's campus are available at cornellplantations.org/trails.