Welcome Weekend

Welcome Weekend is Sept. 4-7, 2026, with move-in day on Friday, Sept. 4. This is your time to make new friends, move in and become familiar with your new St. Scholastica home, experience the Benedictine values in action, get involved and have tons of fun!

What to Expect

Each student will be part of a Delta Group. These are small groups led by an upper-class student leader. Your first Delta Group will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, after you’ve moved into your home for the next nine months. Starting with that group, you will be involved in Welcome Weekend throughout the whole weekend.

Welcome Weekend is mandatory for all new first-year students. It is full of lots of fun programs, activities, and conversations that will help you connect well to this community and give you what you need to hit the ground running! You will have required events every day.

If you have a disability or chronic medical condition that may affect your ability to participate fully and richly in Welcome Weekend, please contact the Center for Equal Access at 218-625-4891 or at access@css.edu. It is important that you contact them at least two weeks before Welcome Weekend if possible.

Welcome Weekend is a great introduction to life at Íøºì³Ô¹Ï. During this time you will:

  • have a ton of fun!
  • become familiar with your new home at St. Scholastica
  • make new friends and connect with a number of the diverse people who make up this community
  • meet faculty and staff
  • find ways to be involved and make connections that get you started
  • learn more about academic success strategies
  • be familiar with the student support services that exist at St. Scholastica
  • experience our Benedictine values in action and explore further what it means to live them every day

Is St. Scholastica Welcome Weekend required?

Welcome Weekend is a required program and attendance is integral to your transition from high school to Íøºì³Ô¹Ï. The choice to attend is similar to the decisions you’ll be making every day of your college experience — whether to attend class or not, whether to participate in on-campus events or not, or whether to have a positive attitude or not. Just like regular class attendance has a positive impact on academic success, attending Welcome Week will enhance your academic experience by helping you get acquainted with St. Scholastica and build a sense of community (one of our values). We encourage you to attend all the sessions and events. Get to know your classmates and start making new friends and memories.

And remember, you have your first real Dignitas class on Monday afternoon, Sept. 7!

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about Welcome Weekend, please contact Dory Kempf or the orientation interns at orientation@css.edu or 218-723-6728.

Kaitie Selleck
Director, Student Activities
218-723-6147
kselleck@css.edu

Dory Kempf
Associate VP Student Affairs
Tower Hall, Room 2124
218-723-5997
dkempf@css.edu

Schedule

Welcome Weekend is full of fun and exciting activities! View the schedule to determine the events you would like to attend. Some events are mandatory each year and are indicated with bold titles. All meals and activities during Welcome Weekend are free.

Friday, Sept. 4

Bolded events are mandatory.

9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Move into Your New St. Scholastica Home!
Check in for Welcome Weekend and move in your belongings.
Lot 5

Students who have arrived early and commuters can check in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Port.

9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Welcome Refreshments
Lemonade, coffee, and bakery items
Somers Hall 168

11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Free Root Beer Floats for Everyone
Hosted by Campus Ministry
Alpha Chi Lawn (outside between Somers Hall and Tower Hall)

11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Enjoy a FREE Lunch (for new students and families)
Greenview Dining Room, Somers Hall

1 p.m.
Muslim Prayer
Musala is available for Friday prayers
Musala Tower Hall 1603

*BIG HUGS*
If your family is still on campus, please plan to say goodbye to them before Delta Group meetings. New students will be busy for the remainder of the day.

2:30-4 p.m.
Delta Groups
Delta Locations

2:30-4 p.m.
Parent and Family Social
Benedictine Commons

4-5:30 p.m.
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Mitchell Auditorium

5:30-7 p.m.
Celebration Dinner
Greenview Dining Room

7-8 p.m.
ResLife Wing Meetings and Commuting Student Meeting
Somers Hall (Commuters meet in Somers Main Lounge)

8-9:30 p.m.
Saints Synergy
Field House

9:30-11 p.m.
Back to School Bonfire
Live music, ice cream treats, s’mores, lawn games and a bonfire.
Grove’s Lawn

Saturday, Sept. 5

Bolded events are mandatory.

8-9 a.m.
Breakfast
Greenview Dining Room

9-9:45 a.m. 
Delta Groups
Delta Locations

9:45-11 a.m.
Building Relationships to Last
Mitchell Auditorium

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lunch
Greenview Dining Room

12:30-1 p.m.
Meet at Busses
Check in with your delta group to get your bus departure time.
BWC Parking Lot

1-3 p.m.
Saints Football Game
Walt Hunting Stadium – Mary Heikkinen Field

3:30-4 p.m.
Delta Groups
Delta Locations

5:30-7:30 p.m.
Reslife Family Floor Dinners
Commuter students meet in Somers Main Lounge at 5:30 p.m..
Greenview Dining Room

7:30-9 p.m.
Game and Craft Night
Join us for mini-golf in the library, D&D, Mario Cart, Billiards, crafts, and pizza!
Library and Storms Den

9 p.m.
Movie on our Hill
Alpha Chi Lawn

Sunday, Sept. 6

Bolded events are mandatory.

10 a.m.-Noon
Brunch
Greenview Dining Room

11 a.m.
Catholic Mass
The Chapel

12:15-1:15 p.m.
Delta Groups
Delta locations

1:15-2:15 p.m.
Success Starts With You
Mitchell Auditorium

2:15-2:30 p.m.
Snack
Mitchell Foyer

2:30-3:45 p.m.
Being a Good Neighbor with C.L. Lindsay: Sex & the Law
Mitchell Auditorium

3:45-4 p.m.
Connecting as a Community of Saints
Mitchell Auditorium

4-5 p.m.
Saints Social
Meet new friends over refreshments, games, and a chance to win prizes!
Somers Lounge

5:30-7:30 p.m.
Dinner
Greenview Dining Room

8-10 p.m.
Paint & Plant
Join us to decorate a planter and pot a plant to make your new space feel more like home!
Student Center Courtyard

9-11 p.m.
Glow Dance
Get excited for a freshman glow dance! Photo booth, DJ, snacks, and good times!
Storms Den

Monday, Sept. 7

Bolded events are mandatory.

8-9 a.m.
Breakfast
Greenview Dining Room

9-9:30 a.m.
Delta Groups
Delta Locations

9:30-10:30 a.m.
Connecting the Dots as a Community of Saints
Mitchell Auditorium

10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Resource Tours and Lunch
Bring your class schedule with you.
Delta Locations

1 – 2:30 p.m.
Dignitas First Class

2:30 p.m.
Transfer Student Welcome
Transfer students are welcome to join us for tours and an awesome swag bag! We will answer your questions as you get ready to begin your time with St. Scholastica.|
The Port

3-5 p.m.
Intramurals and Lawn Games
Science Front Lawn

4 p.m.
Chester Park Hike
Meet in the COR/Student Center

3-5 p.m.
Explore Duluth
Free time to explore Duluth and get ready for classes tomorrow

5-7 p.m.
Dinner
Greenview Dining Room

6-7 p.m.
Praise and Worship with Bonfire
Christian Fellowship and Worship
Groves Lawn

7 p.m.
Christopher Carter: Mentalist/Hypnotist Show
Mitchell Auditorium

Other Helpful Bits of Information

Housing

If you apply for and select to live on campus for the fall, you will receive a letter in the middle of July informing you of your fall housing assignment and your new roommate(s). To be assigned a room, you will need to complete a housing contract and submit your $200 deposit. If you have not yet submitted your full deposit, please contact your admissions counselor or . You may also review a list of . Transfer students are not required to live on campus, but if you are a transfer student and interested in living on campus, please complete the same steps.

Saints Dining

Meal plans are used primarily in the Greenview Dining Room. Here students can dine with their friends and enjoy the diverse food options provided. More information can be found on the .

Parking Permit and Transportation

Students are allowed to have vehicles on campus, but are required to .

Please note that many students opt to NOT have a car on campus and it works out just fine. You can use your Saints Card as a bus pass to go anywhere in Duluth. For traveling further distances (Twin Cities and beyond) Jefferson Bus Lines picks up right on campus! ()

Welcome Weekend Parking Information and Current Parking Map

After unloading and moving into the residence halls, you will need to park your vehicle in lots 1, 15, 16, or 17. Contact Residential Life with questions about move-in day procedures. More information about parking can be found on the Facilities and Parking page.

Current Campus Parking Map, showing a partial closure in the Mitchell Auditorium Lot.