Bridge Week is now open to all students

As Bridge Week moves online this year, instructors and organizers are preparing for a week like never before.

Before this year, seats in Bridge were limited, and students had to register to get a spot. Now, this year’s Bridge Week will give all freshmen the opportunity to take part.

Lisa Angermeier, a clinical associate professor and the coordinator for First-Year Experience, spoke about how accessible this year’s Bridge Week is for all students.

“We'll have a schedule each day, but most of the sessions are going to be recorded so that if a student can't participate when it's happening, they can go back and watch it later,” Angermeier said. “There's no cost to it."

“To me, it's [Bridge] one of the things that we do that makes the biggest difference in student success, to them getting off onto the right foot where they know what to expect in their classes,” Angermeier said.

Part of why Williams continues to be involved in Bridge is because of the support he has seen it provide to students.

“I continue to be involved in it as a whole because I worked with IUPUI summer Bridge for over 10 years now in some capacity, and so I'm seeing a lot of evidence that shows the positive impact that it has on students,” Williams said.

Along with that, according to the Bridge Week web page, it helps students academically.

“In fact, nearly 60% of participants earn a 3.0 GPA or better, and 96% of students who participate in the program say that it provided them with resources and information that helped them succeed in college,” according to the Bridge Week web page.

Although Bridge looks different this year, Williams emphasized that it is important for faculty to focus on how this year’s Bridge will impact students, rather than on how it is different.

“I think it's important that we focus on students' experiences now . . .” Williams said.

Angermeier said some of these experiences include a stress management mindfulness session, a tai chi session, and an urban dance session.

Students who want to learn more about IUPUI can attend the involvement fair to learn about student organizations, daily socials to meet other students, and lunch-and-learns to learn about specific topics regarding student life.

Along with the new experiences for students, for the first time, there will be parent sessions. According to Angermeier, in these parent sessions, families can share concerns and ask questions.

Although this year will be different for everyone, Angermeier said faculty are focused on making Bridge Week a positive experience for students.