OWEEK

We are Rachel Parr, Garrett Pirretti, and Manav Lund, collectively known as team By the P.P.L, For the P.P.L, and we are your 2025 UFO-Week Coordinators!

As O-Week Coordinators it’s our job to make sure that your crash landing into college goes as smoothly as it possibly can and make sure that every new Jonesian has the opportunity to showcase their unique skillsets and experiences from across the galaxy. In just a week, we will introduce you to all of the many resources at Jones and at Rice that have been set up to ensure that each and every one of you has the tools to succeed and leave your mark on our community.

Rice's Orientation-Week, otherwise known as “O-Week”, is unique and distinguished from orientation programs at other universities. Broadly, events in O-Week can be divided into three ways: events that help you plan your classes and prepare for them, events that describe the resources you have at Rice and beyond, and events that help you get to know the family of Jones and of Rice!

And if you’re worried about bringing anything or being prepared for any of this, don’t worry – this book, and the people around you during this exciting week, will help you to know exactly what to bring, and what to expect at any given moment. It’s okay if you don’t have everything figured out right now – what classes to take, what clubs to join, where you want to end up after graduating – as your Coords, and as part of your O-Week Team, we’ll help you find your magic together.

The very first people you’ll meet during O-Week will be your Advisors, a hand-picked, diverse, engaged, and trained group of upperclassmen who volunteer part of their summer to learn how to best introduce you to Jones. Every freshman is paired with 4-5 Advisors and 8-10 other freshmen, who all together form an “O-Week Family”. This group is not only a major part of your O-Week, but also your whole first year — you’ll check in on each other, share meals weekly, and find the answers to any questions you may have. As the saying here at Rice goes, O-Week is forever.

Jones, as a community, is made up of people from every corner of the universe, with their own unique perspectives and contributions to our beautiful college. It was because of this range of experiences and the out-of-this world love and support of the Jones family that we chose our O-Week theme: UFO-Week! We look forward to making first contact with the newest Jonesians and fostering an absolutely intergalactic introduction to the culture of both Jones and Rice. We understand that coming to college can feel like being stranded on a foreign planet but we are here to help you feel at home!

You probably have a lot of questions going into O-Week, but never fear. No matter what happens, the three of us and the rest of your new family will always be here to help. Don’t be afraid to reach out with any concerns.

We can’t wait to welcome you with open arms!!