Orientation Schedule & Guide
First Year Schedule
The following schedules are tentative and subject to change.
8-10:30 a.m. Group A Move In (all first and third floors)
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Group B Move In (all ground and second floors)
Knief Outdoor Athletics Pavillion (D Parking Lot)
Welcome home! Our Orientation staff, resident assistants, faculty and staff are ready to help you move into your new residence hall. Pick up your room keys, check-in for Orientation, and ask us anything! Once you are settled, visit the tents on Clinton Field!
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Taking Care of Business
Saemann Student Center
Do you have any last-minute questions? Let’s get everything sorted out before the fun begins! Visit the student center to take care of any final business.
- Business Office, Financial Aid, and Student Employment – McCoy Rooms
- The Wartburg Store – Stock up on your orange!
- Mail Center – Sign for your parking pass at the Mail Center window.
Students sign out their parking passes at the mail center window! - Information Technology Services – Register your laptop and get help with any technology concerns.
3-4 p.m. Opening Ceremonies/Knighting
Levick Arena
The Opening Ceremony kicks off Orientation! You and your family/friends are invited to learn about Wartburg’s history, mission, and unique traditions. You’ll watch our traditions video, hear from President Rebecca Ehretsman, and officially come forward to be welcomed into Wartburg Knighthood! Our Knighting Ceremony is a unique opportunity for students to be knighted by President Ehretsman and two vice presidents.
4-4:15 p.m. Goodbyes on the Lawn
Campus Lawn
Gather outside The W with your family and friends to share a hug, say good-bye, and mark this important moment. Chaplain Maggie, dean of spiritual life, will lead a special blessing as you transition into your life as a college student. You’ll be joined by the faculty, staff, and classmates who will accompany you in the years to come. We’ll end our time together with a sweet treat before families leave, and students begin their orientation activities.
4:30 p.m. Families Depart
4:45 p.m. Orientation Kick Off
Levick Arena
It’s time for Orientation to begin! Meet your dedicated Student Life and Orientation teams, discover who is in your orientation group, and get ready for an unforgettable experience!
4:45-5:45 p.m. Parent Reception
Greenwood, 902 12th St. NW
Parents and guests are invited to join President Ehretsman at her home for an outdoor reception. Come as you are to this open house! Enjoy complimentary appetizers and connect with fellow Knight families and campus staff.
5:45-6:45 p.m. Student Dinner
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
Time to eat! Grab a table with your Orientation Group and enjoy dinner!
7 p.m. Living on Campus
Levick Arena
Hear from Residential Life, Campus Safety & Security, and Operations & Maintenance for insider tips and tricks to make your residence hall feel like home, stay safe, and live your best life on campus!
7:30 p.m. Playfair
Campus Lawn (Rain site: The W Fieldhouse)
Ready to start your college career with a bang? Playfair is the ultimate welcome experience! This high-energy event will help you meet your entire class, start building friendships, and feel that school spirit! Don’t miss it!
9:30-10:30 a.m. Kickboxing
Fieldhouse Court 1, The W
Join us for a free kickboxing fitness class that combines high-energy cardio, strength training, and empowering kickboxing techniques in a fun, supportive environment. No experience is needed — just bring comfortable workout clothes, water, and a positive attitude for a full-body workout that’s suitable for all fitness levels.
10:45-11:05 a.m. Orientation to The W
Meet outside the W entrance
Take a complete tour of The W and discover everything you need to train, compete, and stay active while you transition into college. From state-of-the-art fitness equipment and spacious workout areas to courts, tracks, and specialized training spaces, explore the facilities designed to help you reach your goals. The W is here to help you!
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Yoga on the Lawn
Campus Lawn
Enjoy fresh air, gentle movement, and a welcoming community in a relaxing outdoor setting. All experience levels are welcome. Bring a yoga mat or towel, water, and comfortable clothing. Come move, stretch, and recharge with us!
11:15 a.m.–1 p.m. Brunch
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
1-2:50 p.m. SEM 100 Class
Various Classrooms
Bring your laptops! We’re diving into the essentials you need to thrive on campus. Learn how to navigate My.Wartburg, request meal transfers, print your schedule, and find important campus information and resources. Attendance will be taken!
3-4:15 p.m. The C-Word: Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training
Neumann Auditorium
Using a combination live comedy, audience interaction, improv exercises, and honest dialogue, the C-Word breaks down the walls to have a real and vital conversation about sex, consent, and healthy relationships.
5:15–6:30 p.m. Dinner
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
7:30 p.m. Choose your activity!
Various Locations
- Pot a Plant, Ubuntu Center, Connect with your peers while decorating a custom pot to represent your new journey as a Wartburg Knight!
- Sand Volleyball, Volleyball Courts behind The Manors, Join fellow students for a friendly (or competitive!) game of sand volleyball! Spectators are welcome!
- Outdoor Movie, Clinton Field, Grab a blanket, watch a movie, and enjoy s’mores with your new friends.
- Memory Box Making, Vogel Library K-Statt, Decorate a memory box to store your favorite college memorabilia!
8-10 p.m. Campfire & S’mores with Spiritual Life & Campus MInistry
Outside Wartburg Chapel
Gather around the campfire for music, s’mores, and worship. Wartburg Spiritual Life & Campus Ministry, with student leaders from our many faith expression groups, will welcome you to campus. Orientation Worship begins at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Ministry Fair, where you will learn about and connect with local churches as you begin to find where your faith will flourish.
6:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
9:30-11 a.m. SEM 100 Team Building
Campus Lawn
Put your heads together! Team up with your SEM 100 classmates for a series of fun, fast-paced challenges that will test your communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Attendance will be taken!
11 a.m. Classroom Tours
Find your classrooms before the first day! Your Orientation leader will show you where your classrooms are and point out other important spaces.
12-1 p.m. Lunch
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
3-4 p.m. Adjusting to College Workshop
McCaskey Lyceum, Saemann Student Center
Moving to college brings a wave of new feelings, challenges, and opportunities. Join our Counseling Services team for a relaxed conversation about strategies to manage stress, balance your time, and fully embrace this new chapter!
4:15-5:15 p.m. Residence Hall FLoor Programs
Various Locations
Time to connect with your floormates! Meet with your RA and floormates to talk about your floor community, expectations, and ideas to connect during the fall term!
5:15-6:30 p.m. Dinner
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
Have dinner with your floormates and RA!
6:30-9 p.m. Knightout
Campus Mall (rain site: The W Fieldhouse)
Welcome to the ultimate party! Enjoy a fun-filled night with caricatures, inflatables, yard games, a photo booth, music, snacks, and so much more!
6:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
8:30-9:30 a.m. SEM 100 Class
Various Classrooms
Bring your laptop and wear your class shirt (your Orientation leader will provide it)! Today you’ll meet your SEM 100 professor and learn more about your class topic. After class, you’ll head out to the lawn to take your official class photo!
9:45 a.m. Class Photo
Campus Lawn
Say cheese! It’s time to take your official class photo.
10:15 a.m. Opening Convocation
Levick Arena, The W
Opening Convocation is a Wartburg tradition that officially marks the start of a new academic year. The entire Wartburg community will gather to celebrate higher education and officially welcome you as our incoming class.
11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
1-2:30 p.m. Academic Department Welcome
Various Locations
Get ready to meet your academic community! Head to the Campus Lawn and find your department’s sign (don’t worry if you are still exploring your options — we will have a sign for you, too) to connect with classmates who share your interests. Then, walk together to your department welcome session, where you’ll meet faculty, learn more about your major, and get answers to questions about advising, classes, and campus opportunities.
2:30-3:30 p.m. First Generation Celebration
Cardinal Commons, Grossmann Hall
Are you the first in your family to go to college? Let’s celebrate you! Join us to recognize this achievement with fellow first-gen students as well as faculty and staff who were also the first in their families to accomplish the significant milestone of pursuing a college education! Wartburg defines first generation as a student who does not have a parent or guardian who completed a four-year college degree.
5-7 p.m. Dinner
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
6:30 -7:30 p.m. Involvement Fair
Campus Lawn
Discover your passion! Visit tables to learn about involvement opportunities like student organizations, honor societies, study abroad, and more. This is your chance to find out how you can leave your mark at Wartburg.
6:30 -7:30 p.m. Back to School Bash
Campus Lawn
Keep the excitement going after the Involvement Fair! New and returning students are invited to enjoy karaoke, create a memory box, play yard games, and enjoy some lemonade. Finish Orientation by coming together as one Wartburg community!
Orientation is officially complete. Good luck on your first day of class! If you ever need help or have a question, remember to reach out to your Orientation leader.
Keep the fun going all year long! Check out the campus calendar to learn about upcoming campus activities scheduled after orientation week!
More Information:
Kim Bock
kim.bock@wartburg.edu
319-352-8759
- About Wartburg
- Academic Resources
- Campus Resources
- Financial Clearance
- Links for Support
- Orientation & Registration
- Wartburg Honor Code
Transfer Schedule
8-10:30 a.m. Move-In
12-1 p.m. Transfer Celebration Cookout
Campus Lawn
This celebration cookout will be held in honor of all transfer students! Meet the college president, dean of Faculty, and dean of students; begin connecting with resources and programs; and participate in your own Knighting Ceremony!
1 p.m. How-To Wartburg
Whitehouse Business Center 214 (Buckmaster)
Bring your laptops! We’re diving into the essentials you need to thrive on campus. Learn how to navigate My.Wartburg, request meal transfers, print your schedule, and find important campus information and resources.
1:45 p.m. Advising & Career Session
Whitehouse Business Center 214 (Buckmaster)
2:30 p.m. Classroom Tours
Find your classrooms before the first day! Your Orientation leader will show you where your classrooms are and point out other important spaces.
5:15-6:30 p.m. Dinner
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
6-9 p.m. Knightout
Campus Mall (rain site: Fieldhouse in The W)
Welcome to the ultimate party! Enjoy a fun-filled night with caricatures, inflatables, yard games, a photo booth, music, snacks, and so much more!
6:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
1-2:30 p.m. Academic Department Welcome
Various Locations
Get ready to meet your academic community! Head to the Campus Lawn and find your department’s sign (don’t worry if you are still exploring your options — we will have a sign for you, too) to connect with classmates who share your interests. Then, walk together to your department welcome session, where you’ll meet faculty, learn more about your major, and get answers to questions about advising, classes, and campus opportunities.
2:30-3:30 p.m. First Generation Celebration
Cardinal Commons, Grossmann Hall
Are you the first in your family to go to college? Let’s celebrate you! Join us to recognize this achievement with fellow first-gen students as well as faculty and staff who were also the first in their families to accomplish the significant milestone of pursuing a college education! Wartburg defines first generation as a student who does not have a parent or guardian who completed a four-year college degree.
5-7 p.m. Dinner
Mensa, Saemann Student Center
6:30 -7:30 p.m. Involvement Fair
Campus Lawn
Discover your passion! Visit tables to learn about involvement opportunities like student organizations, honor societies, study abroad, and more. This is your chance to find out how you can leave your mark at Wartburg.
6:30 -7:30 p.m. Back to School Bash
Campus Lawn
Keep the excitement going after the Involvement Fair! New and returning students are invited to enjoy karaoke, create a memory box, play yard games, and enjoy some lemonade. Finish Orientation by coming together as one Wartburg community!
Orientation is officially complete. Good luck on your first day of class! If you ever need help or have a question, remember to reach out to your Orientation leader.
Keep the fun going all year long! Check out the campus calendar to learn about upcoming campus activities scheduled after orientation week!
Important Information
HOIR PLACEMENTS
Audition for a choir
- Wartburg Choir (touring concert choir (SATB) | Dr. Lee Nelson, conductor, lee.nelson@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Monday thru Thursday (4:50-6:15 p.m.)
- Castle Singers (touring chamber ensemble (SATB) | Dr. Nicki Toliver, conductor, nicki.toliver@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Monday thru Friday (3:45-4:40 p.m.)
- Kantorei (SATB choir) | Dr. Karen Black, conductor, karen.black@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Wednesday and Friday (3:45-4:40 p.m.)
- Ritterchor (tenor/bass choir) | Dr. Lee Nelson, conductor, lee.nelson@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Monday, Tuesday & Thursday (3:45-4:40 p.m.)
- St. Elizabeth Chorale (soprano/alto choir) | Dr. Nicki Toliver, conductor, nicki.toliver@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Monday, Tuesday & Thursday (4:50-5:45 p.m.)
HANDBELLS
For questions or information about Handbell Choir, please contact Dr. Karen Black at karen.black@wartburg.edu.
ORCHESTRA, WIND ENSEMBLE, SYMPHONIC BAND
Audition for an instrumental ensemble
- Wind Ensemble (touring band ensemble) | Dr. Lia Snead, conductor, lia.snead@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals Monday through Thursday (4:50-6:15 p.m.)
- Kammerstreicher (touring ensemble) rebecca.nederhiser@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals Monday through Friday (3:45-4:40 p.m.)
- Wartburg Community Symphony | Dr. Rebecca Nederhiser, conductor, rebecca.nederhiser@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals Monday (7-9:30 p.m.) and Thursday (7-9 p.m.)
- Symphonic Band | Dr. Lia Snead, conductor, lia.snead@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Mondy, Wednesday, and Friday (3:50-4:40 p.m.)
- Knightliters (jazz band) | Josh Hakanson, conductor, josh.hakanson@wartburg.edu | Rehearsals on Wednesdays (8:30-10 p.m.)
Cloud Print is Wartburg’s online printing system that allows you to send files and/ordocuments to the printers on campus. Follow these directions to print to the printer in your residence hall or to any printer across campus.