What is On Iowa!?

When you get to campus for the first time knowing that the University of Iowa will be your newfound home for the next 9 months it is hard to know how to spend your time. Luckily, On Iowa! has been created to provide a variety of different types of events that everyone is sure to like, such as Kickoff at Kinnick, the President’s Block Party, and small welcome groups by major.

Iowa Edge

Iowa Edge is the best program I have ever been a part of. Starting Sunday morning I moved into Catlett Hall and nervously prepared to be placed into a group of other minority, first-generation, and LGBTQ+ students that are first-year students at Iowa. Little did I know this would become the stepping stone for my first friendships on campus. From Sunday afternoon to Wednesday night ending with a banquet, my group was thrown into different teambuilding exercises like a challenge course with the leadership from our wonderful peer mentors Che Der, Madisen, and Sami.

Bingo Night

By far the best and most frustrating On Iowa! event the whole week. First, you must arrive early to get into the ballroom because seats are limited. Once inside you better be ready because it’s about to get crazy. Starting with the traditional bingo with 5 in a row, I didn’t win anything…but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Then, we had to complete our board in different letters like an H and I, and for the final pattern the dreaded blackout board. By the end of the game, I got close to winning a few times but not close enough leaving me one of the many losers of bingo night.

Silent Disco

The literal definition of dance is that nobody is watching. The second you put your headphones on you get to choose from three different DJs that are mixing other songs throughout the entire night. Feeling like you have been transported to your own personal concert you can sing or scream the lyrics of your favorite songs as loud as you want without worrying about anyone hearing you sing. It was a good time to jump around and feel like there was no care in the world.

Kickoff to Kinnick

It is time to learn the official traditions of being a Hawkeye! If you are anything like me and have never been to a Hawkeye football game or ever even heard the fight song prepare to be enlightened. I was allowed to star in the video that was used to teach the fight song of our school which was pretty interesting because my friends and I had no idea what it was. During kickoff, you get to practice the Iowa Wave, and other football game traditions, and at the end watch a firework show with games.