By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Chiefs camp is winding down and soon the dorms will be packed again with students flowing to Missouri Western State University for the fall semester.
Missouri Western President Elizabeth Kennedy says Chiefs Training Camp typically signals the end of summer on the St. Joseph campus.
"Because the Chiefs will be leaving on August 17th, and then six days after that our new students start moving in, and then five days after that we are in session for the fall," Kennedy tells host of the KFEQ Hotline Barry Birr. "So, it's just go but we're excited for that, we have the move in day like I said for our new students is August 23rd."
Kennedy says entering the fall semester there's a sense of hope, optimism, and excitement even though it's the end of summer.
"Because there's new students and new classes and new opportunities and you just never know what's going to happen or how wonderful the semester will be, so there's a lot of excitement that surrounds that," Kennedy explains.
Kennedy says about 700 students will live in the dorms this year which is up from last year.
As the fall semester nears its beginning Missouri Western State University aims to get new students acclimated to St. Joseph and the campus.
One way students will get acclimated is an event called Griff Up Downtown. New students will decorate windows of 20 participating downtown businesses as part of the event.
Kennedy says holding the event downtown is great for their new students
"Have them learn about the downtown community and then they spread to other areas obviously, but have them learn more about St. Joseph, and get them acquainted with what this community has to offer, make new friends, just see what St. Joseph is all about," Kennedy says.
Missouri Western will also hold a pep rally for students downtown just after the start of school and ahead of the first football game on August 31st.
The fall semester will be underway for Missouri Western on August 28th.