Students catch a breath before the new semester

Fireworks usually bring in the New Year, but kicking off the new school year at ASU calls for a full weekend of festivities.

Senior Roger Quintana's favorite part of the weekend was magician, Derek Hughes, who performed for students on Friday night. But the weekend was far more than simple card tricks and magic.

"Students are able to meet other students," meet other students," Quintana said. "They also learn about what's going on on-campus and are able to get involved. We had a good turnout this year-there were a lot of people involved."

Rambunctious Weekend is a three-day event welcoming students-old and new-to the campus of ASU. The weekend includes entertainers, inflatable rides and mud-football.

There was even a trolley to take students downtown, showcasing the Down Town Art Walk, a community effort to showcase San Angelo art, and the downtown area.

Saturday, students and families were encouraged to visit San Angelo venues and attractions. The Railroad Museum of San Angelo even provided free admission to ASU students and parents, said Nolen Mears, executive director of student life and coordinator for the Rambunctious Committee.

The three-day welcoming festivities, however, have taken a year of preparations.

"UCPC has been involved from the beginning," said Gary Stackhouse, University Center Program Council president. "We take care of all the entertainment aspects of the events. We bring in the artists, the inflatables, the game-show, the magician and all that stuff."

Originally, Rambunctious Weekend was known as 'FishBlast,' and has served a lot of different purposes, said Rick Greig, director of student involvement.

"Back in the day, freshman used to register last. As a student involvement staff, we wanted to get the freshman integrated and we started to provide several activities," he said. "That process has gone on."

Now, the weekend is a time of activities and events for freshman and returning students.

The name Rambunctious Weekend seemed appropriate because of the emphasis on the ram and also because "rambunctious" means 'filled with unbridled excitement,' Mears said. "That is the feeling we are looking to achieve for the weekend."

The total cost for the weekend is $50,000 - $60,000 with most of the money going toward food and paying professional entertainers, he said.

Greig said when Joseph C. Rallo came on board as ASU's president he said Rallo wanted to see the weekend present some 'wow.'

"So what does 'wow' look like," Greig said. "Inflatables and food and entertainers-it's taken on a life of its own."