By Tom Gresham

As Virginia Commonwealth University's newest students filed into the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Monday, they were greeted with a suitably rowdy welcome. The Peppas, VCU’s world-famous pep band, blasted through a spirited set of songs in swinging, midseason form, joined with similar commitment by VCU’s cheer team.

Sitting in the crowd, Sanaa Thomas, a freshman from Charlottesville, caught the energy.

“I felt like part of a community,” Thomas said. “I can really feel that VCU is a big community school. It’s great to feel that.”

The occasion was New Student Convocation, an annual welcome for VCU’s first-year and transfer students. Following the event, the students – led by the still-energized Peppas – crossed West Broad Street down Harrison Street and paraded through campus to the University Student Commons area as part of the traditional Spirit Walk. Soon after, a Block Party kicked off with an array of activities and food. 

At the Convocation event, a lineup of VCU leaders welcomed students to the university and encouraged them to hit the ground in a headlong sprint. As Gabe Willis, Ph.D., associate vice president and dean of student advocacy, reminded them in his rousing remarks sprinkled with moments of call-and-response, “Your VCU story starts now.”

Hernan Bucheli, Ed.D.,vice president for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success, told the students – including the first-years who make up the second-largest freshman class in VCU history – that “today marks the beginning of a journey that will shape your future.” 

“Here, you’re not just a student, you’re a part of something bigger – a dynamic and driven university family that celebrates every admission, every dream and every choice,” Bucheli said. “Whether you’re from across the globe or across the street, you belong at VCU.”

For the incoming students, Bucheli said, “This is your moment.”

“Success at VCU isn’t just about grades – it’s about growth,” he said. “It’s about discovering who you are and what you stand for and how you’ll make your mark. Welcome to the ‘Ramily.’ Make this journey memorable.”

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., asked students to embrace the differences in backgrounds and experiences that each of them brings to VCU – “that’s the beauty of this place” – and to engage civilly, respectfully and with empathy for each other, mindful of those differences and how they are shaped by them.

Rao reminded students that they inevitably would hit some “bumps” as an inherent part of their college experience and to be ready to seek help and support from the university and the many resources that it offers.

“We’re all here because we want you to be successful,” he said.

Beverly Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said the students’ arrival at VCU marks the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in their lives. She asked students to remember to be curious and open and to seek opportunities to find their purpose in pursuit of living “a life of meaning and passion.”

“College life is about exploring and finding out more about yourself – finding out more about who you are, what matters to you and what lights you up,” Warren said.

Warren said a critical component of the VCU experience is that the university creates a community of care. She asked students to be ready “to lift others up,” and they would in turn be lifted up, too.

“We take care of one another,” Warren said.

VCU women’s basketball coach Beth O’Boyle and men’s basketball coach Phil Martelli Jr. were on hand to promote the Ram fan experience. 

O’Boyle led a round of applause for the Peppas, “the best band in the land,” she said, and promised students that they would love coming to games in the Siegel Center. “There’s no place like ‘The Stu,’” she said. O’Boyle asked students to be ready to support all the Rams athletics teams, starting with the fall sports squads. “What we need the most is you guys,” O’Boyle said.

Martelli, who is in his first year at the helm, told students that he has relished the stories that he has heard from VCU alumni of the magic of the Siegel Center student section, where lifelong friendships and memories are made.

“That student section right there is what makes the Siegel Center special,” Martelli said. “Throughout the country, throughout college basketball, people talk about the Siegel Center, one of the most dynamic and hardest places to play in college basketball. We don’t lose here. We will not lose here. But we need that section full, and we need that section loud.”

Martelli then led the students in their first chant of “V-C-U” together.

Savannah Anderson, a freshman from Roanoke, took in the show from the front row. Later, after enjoying activities at the Block Party, she said the afternoon’s events had helped the large VCU campus and community become a bit smaller and more comfortable to her as she adjusts to her new home.

“Convocation was really fun,” Anderson said. “I was sitting near the band, and I could tell there’s a lot of school spirit here. I’m not someone who usually has a lot of school spirit, but I was into it.”

In closing out Convocation, Rao told students that they had “lit up” VCU and Richmond with their arrival on campus – and that it was just the beginning. 

“VCU is a great place. Every year, we welcome an enormous number of new students, and VCU changes – and it changes for the better,” Rao said. “You will shape this institution in great ways.”