“Find Your Fit” was the theme of an event hosted Sunday afternoon at spots all around campus to help new students find a community they could connect with on Sunday as a part of Welcome Weekend.

Students could attend five sessions: one on being a commuter student, one on the Gender and Sexual Diversity Center, one on being a parent while in college, one on being a first-generation college student and one on Christian college life.

Stephanie Buck, a sophomore elementary education major, was standing behind the Newman Catholic Center table. 

She said that when she was a freshman, she sought out the Newman center because it was the right fit for her because of the community it offered.

“I was looking for a community,” Buck said. “Just going to college not knowing anyone. I wanted a community and specifically a faith community to kind of keep me on track, keep me accountable. That’s something that I found important.”

Dean Stout, a freshman engineering cooperative major, was a parent looking for his own fit among other parents. Stout has a six-year-old son and wants him to be able to find his own fit as his son grows.

“(I want) for him just to be able to do what he wants,” Stout said. “He doesn’t have to go to work at 16 to help out. He doesn’t have to raise his siblings. He doesn’t have to. He’s not going to have to do all the things that I had to his age. So he’s going to be able to start himself out a lot younger than I was able to. I’m 29-years-old and just getting to Eastern. I just want him to be able to do things on his own track and not have to work around everything the way I did.”

Aside from these ways, there are plenty of ways for students to find how they are part of Eastern.

Serenity Gause, a junior human services major who went to the first generation student group, said that it was easy to make friends and get involved during Welcome Weekend.

“I enjoyed the events because I met a few people during those days,” Gause said. “My RA took us out, and I didn’t need too many people. But it was so fun.”

Even transfer students like Marisa Poole, a junior sociology major, thinks that these days are fun. 

Poole, a transfer student from Parkland College in Champaign, said that Parkland College only had one day like this, whereas Eastern has multiple.

“I think it’s pretty nice that they put on so many because with the Parkland one, it was all only one day, which is fine for a community college,” Poole said. “But with a university, it’s really nice if they welcome you and everything. I know some people are pretty far away and they have to come here for mandatory stuff, but since I’m closer, it’s good for me, though.”

Aside from the events being fun, they are also about trying to find a student’s perfect fit at Eastern. Buck said to go to a place with genuine people that feels like home.

“I would say just find the right group that fits you,” Buck said. “Obviously, I’m biased, and I represent the Newman center. But I would just say find a group that represents you and where you feel at home. I think that’s really important. I’ve always really felt at home at the Newman center. So I think just feeling at home and being around people that you feel comfortable with and that you know are genuine and that are going to lead you in the right direction, because I think just being genuine is the perfect thing.”

Katja Benz can be reached at 581-2812 or at kkbenz@eiu.edu.