Photos by Alwin Szeto/UC San Diego Publications

UC San Diego Welcomes New and Returning Students for Start of Fall Quarter

New projects, facilities and initiatives underway for 2015-16 academic year

Sixth College freshman Breeanna Allen is a San Diego native who is the first in her family to attend college. Over the summer, Allen prepared for the start of fall quarter at UC San Diego by taking part in the Triton Community Leadership Institute, a three-day residential program geared toward incoming first-generation college students that helps them navigate the university prior to the beginning of the school year.

“Right away, I was met with such kind people on campus, and that made me feel comfortable in an entirely new atmosphere,” Allen said. “I’m very excited for all of the new opportunities that UC San Diego will offer.”

On Sept. 24, Allen along with an estimated 5,300 incoming freshmen and 2,700 new transfer students started fall classes at UC San Diego. They were joined by more than 25,000 continuing students.

The incoming freshmen have an overall grade-point average of 4.08 and average SAT Reasoning scores of 628, 690 and 644, respectively, for Critical Reading, Math and Writing. The campus’ new transfer students bring with them a 3.44 grade-point average.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome these bright minds to UC San Diego and our academic community,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Our goal is to provide our students with a high-quality education and a wide range of opportunities so they can have the best possible college experience.”

An estimated 4,641 freshmen will be living on campus, making up 43 percent of undergraduate housing. Approximately 880 new transfer students will be living in the Village at Torrey Pines, making up around 8.2 percent of undergraduate housing. Overall, about 10,740 new and continuing students will be on-campus residents.

Students, faculty and staff will find a number of new projects, facilities and initiatives underway on campus.

• New Health and Safety Campaigns and Events: This fall, students can look forward to more peer-to-peer education from CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource Center. As part of orientation, all new students were introduced to the resources CARE offers. Learning about sexual assault and how to report it is now mandatory for all incoming UC San Diego freshmen and new transfer students. In addition to the mandatory online program, all new incoming students received in-person presentations on consent and its definition, healthy relationships, cyber safety and more. Later this year, CARE will roll out a campus-wide campaign for preventing sexual violence, which will be a positive, inclusive and empowering program that encourages and teaches students bystander intervention strategies. Bystander intervention is when one person chooses to speak up, step in or engage others to help when witnessing uncomfortable situations. Although the training focuses on violence prevention, it can be applied to a variety of situations, such as alcohol issues or racist comments, which students may encounter.

  Also this year, students will have the opportunity to take part in the university’s annual Triton Fest, which will return with nearly twice as many events as last year. A new campus tradition that began last fall, Triton Fest features five back-to-back weekends of music, food and other interactive activities. Starting at the end of September and continuing through the first three Friday and Saturday nights in October, the free late-night events offer an opportunity for all students to socialize and get involved in campus life early in the academic year, in safe environments where drugs and alcohol are not a primary source of fun. Through the Associated Students Concerts and Events (ASCE) new partnership with Triton Fest, the university’s annual All Campus Dance was also upgraded to the Fall Y’all Festival, which took place on September 20. Students enjoyed new features, such as nationally touring artists and food trucks. Other Triton Fest activities include a Global and Local Night Market, the UC San Diego Grand Prix, which is an on-campus go kart event, and two nights of Comedy Fest, featuring four shows with emerging and nationally recognized comedians.

• New Dining: Specializing in Asian barbecue, Lemongrass: Fresh Farm Plates is the newest restaurant addition to the Price Center. Previously a crowd favorite at the weekly campus Farmer’s Market in Town Square, Lemongrass is located next to Rubio’s: Fresh Mexican Grill. Students can enjoy its expanded menu, featuring new items such as the avocado “green roll,” in addition to their signature plates.

  Students can also enjoy new food items and expanded seating at several dining halls. Goody’s, located in Thurgood Marshall College, will now serve breakfast burritos consisting of ingredients such as machaca, or dried and spiced meat, bacon, “soyrizo” and sausage. Additionally, Roots, The Bistro and food trucks have refreshed menus. Students will be able to dine in new seating areas at Goody’s, 64 Degrees and Foodworx. In addition, 64 Degrees “North” will open its doors. The full-service dining venue, located adjacent to 64 Degrees, will feature modern décor and a menu consisting of a healthy and eclectic mix of California Cuisine, fresh vegetables and popular international dishes. Oceanview Terrace, commonly referred to as OVT, will be temporarily closed for remodeling and will reopen with the ability to prepare both Halal and Kosher meals in fall 2016.