Southern Miss kicks off the fall semester the Gulf Park Campus

LONG BEACH, Miss. (WXXV)- The Golden Eagles are back. Southern Miss Gulf Park kicked off the fall semester in style, giving students a chance to connect, get involved, and celebrate a new year on campus.

Students at the Southern Miss Gulf Park Campus are back for the fall semester. To celebrate the start of a new school year, university staff greeted them with a picnic at the pavilion. Admission Recruiter Sara Williams said, “We’ve got a food truck for him. We’ve got a DJ. We’re just having a good time getting to know our students and making them feel at home. Like even though it’s hot outside, we have so many people here.”

The university’s welcome back week is for both new and returning students. Events like this give students an opportunity to learn about campus resources and build connections. Gulf Park SGA President Caleb Favaloro said, “Free food is always a great enticement, but it’s where students can learn about various student organizations, how to get involved on campus, and I think that’s really important, especially on this campus because we’re a commuter campus where people aren’t physically living here. So, when they come here, they have something that’s extracurricular that’s not just classes.”

If you’re still hoping to enroll, it might not be too late. Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul said, “You know, it’s Wednesday the first week of classes, but if you’re out there thinking I really should have enrolled this semester, you know, we’re nimble enough down here on the Gulf Coast that you can still show up this week and we’ll find a way to get you into school.”