Sophia Cortez 
THE RIDER FILE PHOTO
UTRGV will welcome Vaqueros back to campus with The Stomp, a semester kickoff event celebrating community and school spirit from 8 p.m. to midnight Thursday in Lot E-8 outside the University Center on the Edinburg campus and at the same time Sept. 9 in Lot B-4 in front of Casa Bella on the Brownsville campus.
This year’s edition will blend traditions from past events with new updates based on student feedback, offering students a chance to connect, celebrate and start the semester.
“The Stomp is actually an event that started off with the creation of UTRGV,” said Raul Leal, program coordinator for Student Activities. “So, it existed for a few years. In its previous iteration, it was more of a student organization tabling opportunity for people to learn more about the organizations and opportunities to get involved on campus.”
Leal added that previous editions of the event featured live music and fireworks, which they intend to bring back to commemorate the event’s start.
Students can expect interactive activities and new elements. A student ID is required.
“One thing that I’m super excited for is our mobile zip line, so people can zip from one side of the event to the other, apart from our business showcase, which is an opportunity for students to get a lot of cool, free deals and samples from local vendors and really learn about what other opportunities or resources that they have for students on campus,” Leal said.
Monica Vera, assistant director of Residence Life, said staff members are actively promoting The Stomp and Welcome Week.
“That’s the whole point of being on campus and living on campus,” Vera said. “They have, like, front row seats, and so we want to make sure that they take advantage of everything that’s available to them.”
Housing and Residence Life will volunteer alongside student organizations to welcome students and advertise Welcome Week and events this upcoming semester.
For more information, visit VLink.
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