Every student is welcome to attend First Night, an Eastern tradition which will be held in McAfee gym on Sunday, starting at 8 p.m. and lasting about an hour.

According to student body president Rebecca Cash, First Night at Eastern is a big pep rally the Sunday before classes start.

During this event, students will be introduced to many of the organizations on campus, including Greek life and athletics.

“In that quick hour, you meet practically everybody on campus,” Cash said. “It’s the first time you get to really experience what EIU is.”

There will be plenty of games to play and prizes to win, including Eastern T-shirts, beads, pom-poms and a pair of Beats headphones.

“It’s definitely an EIU tradition,” Cash said. “I hope it never goes away.”

Eastern alum Omar Solomon will be there as well to get everyone into the school spirit.

“Everyone loves Omar,” Cash said. “He is the heart and soul of EIU. He really gets the crowd going.”

In addition to the games and prizes, there will also be live entertainment, including the Eastern band, and Versatility, who opened for the Fetty Wap concert at Eastern in the Spring, will be opening the event this year.

Cash encourages not only new students to attend, but also students who have gone to First Night in their previous years at Eastern.

“It’s going to be different than what it was last year,” she said. “But the concept of the first night is still the same. Eastern is your home now, and I hope that everyone comes out and supports their new home.”

Hannah Shillo can be reached at 581-2812 or at hlshillo@eiu.edu.