Students return to USM Gulf Park Campus for first day of fall semester
The Golden Eagles along the Gulf Coast are soaring back to the classroom to begin the new school year.
Students at the Gulf Park campus of Southern Miss officially have picked up their books and backpacks and are kicking off the school year.
Along with the first day jitters comes a whole lot of excitement especially from their Student Government Association President Ka’Lon Duncanson said, “Especially coming back from like COVID and just getting a sense of normalcy, this is really, really good just seeing students walking around, the parking lots are filled, it’s really a joy, it is a joy, and I am excited about the semester and the school year in general.”
Being SGA president means the world to Ka’Lon because it means he can be a change maker as well as a voice for the students at the Gulf Park campus.
As students are walking from class to class, they’re passing by a lofty return statue that faces another statue just like it at the Hattiesburg campus.
The two statues tie the two campuses together as one university. Being a part of a university can be scary, but there are several events that aim to help students get involved and more comfortable on campus. Student Engagement Director Jessica Langston said, “We are really excited to have two kinds of beginning-of-the-year events for students to help get them connected. The first is this Wednesday during the lunch hour at the pavilion we will have an event ‘Pop-in with Pop Brothers’ which is a student organization and research fair so students are encouraged to come out, grab some food, listen to music, and meet other students and find a student organization to join.”
There is also a beginning of the year picnic on September 1st for all faculty, staff, and students.
