Carnegie Mellon University

Winter Welcome

Winter Welcome 2025 is almost here! Join us from January 13-26, 2025

Each winter SLICE partners with departments across Student Affairs to organize an exciting slate of Winter Welcome events. Through the collaborative and celebratory events, we hope to reconnect students to each other, the Carnegie Mellon campus and the Pittsburgh community. 

The Winter Welcome events are a great way for students to meet new people, get involved with CMU’s student organizations, build school spirit, participate in service projects and practice wellness as they start their spring semester.

Our 2025 Winter Welcome schedule is listed below. More events and details will be added in the lead up to January. Check back for updates!

2025 Winter Welcome Schedule

Winter Welcome Info Table

Tuesday, January 14th | 11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: CUC Wean Commons

Stop by and learn more about all our exciting Winter Welcome events. Give our prize wheel a spin for some fun goodies to welcome you back to campus! 

First 100 Days Celebration

Tuesday, January 14th |7:00 - 9:00pm
Location: Tepper Simmons A

Join First-Year Orientation and Residential Education to celebrate reaching your first 100 days of classes here at Carnegie Mellon! Let’s revisit some fun activities from your First-Year Orientation week while enjoying some snacks and winning some prizes!

Healthy Campus Kick Off, Fitness Challenge & Personal Training Registration

Wednesday, January 15th | 12:00 - 1:00pm
Location: CUC Wiegand Gym

Kick off the new year with the Athletics department! Drop by and meet our personal training interns from Pitt. Learn if personal training is right for you! Limited personal training spots in Mini 3 are available at no cost for students. 

You can also sign up for the 2025 Fitness Challenge "Weave Fitness Into Your Day" in person in Wiegand on Wednesday, January 15th.

CheerZINE & Self-ActualiZINE the New Year

Wednesday, January 15th | 12:00 - 2:00pm
Location: CUC LL75 Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion

Come celebrate all you’ve been through this year as we toast over a light lunch with coffee and sparkling juices. University Archives will lead us in making personal or collective zines -- a small, self-published collection of text and images -- to create a visual manifestation of your joy, well-being, and success to come in the new year.

Register Today: CheerZINE & Self-ActualiZINE the New Year

Winter Warm-up! S’mores with SLICE

Wednesday, January 15th | 4:00 - 6:00pm
Location: CUC, Kirr Commons

Enjoy making your own toasty treats with the Office of Student Leadership, Involvement, and Civic Engagement!

Paws to Relax: Weekly Pet Therapy Program

Wednesday, January 15 / 22 / 29  | 7:00 - 8:00pm
Location: Well-being Lab (Rm 104), Highmark Center

Volunteers through Animal Friend’s Therapet program join us weekly on Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. to offer some friendly dog companions for the hour.

Take a break and join us! Event website.

Welcome & Welcome Back Reception

Thursday, January 16th | 4:30 - 6:00pm
Location: CUC Danforth Conference Room

Join the Office of International Education for a reception designed to welcome and welcome back for all exchange and returning study abroad students!

Real Self Care FTW

Thursday, January 16 | 5:00 - 6:00pm
Location: Well-being Lab (Rm 104), Highmark Center

Learn real and practical self-care principles (boundaries, compassion, values, and support) with the Wellness and Meaning-Making team for the monthly Crafternoon event. Event website.

Snow & Show Involvement Showcase

Friday, January 17th | 2:30 - 4:00pm
Location: CUC Kirr Commons

Check out how to get involved in campus traditions, leadership opportunities, and community engagement. Featuring SLICE, CMU Pantry, Pittsburgh Connections, and other campus partners!

Snow & Show also features our annual Winter Welcome Burgh Basket Giveaway! Enter to win a specially curated gift basket from some of Pittsburgh’s local women- and minority-owned businesses.

Heartfulness Weekly Meditation

Sunday, January 19 / 26  | 8:30 - 11:00am
Location: Well-being Lab (Rm 104), Highmark Center

Reduce stress, calm your mind and improve the quality of your life through the Heartfulness Meditation. Event website.

Crafts & Cocoa!

Tuesday, January 21 | 11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: CUC Peter/Mckenna

Come paint and sip with SLICE! Create a mini painting for your dorm room or as a gift for a friend. All materials (and cocoa!) will be provided!

The Winter FAIR

Wednesday, January 22 | 5:00 - 6:30pm
Location: CUC Wiegand Gym

Winter FAIR Information

Check out the FAIR! Showcasing many of CMU’s 300+ student organizations, 23 fraternities and sororities, and campus partners, the FAIR is the perfect way to get involved! Learn about all the neat engagement opportunities on campus and meet students from across the college. Open to all members of the campus community: undergraduate students, graduate students, staff/faculty.

Study Abroad Student Panel

Thursday, January 23 | 12:00 - 1:00pm
Location: CUC Connan

Come learn more about study abroad from students in the know!  Recently returned study abroad students as well as study abroad staff will be on hand to share insight and answer your questions. We hope you can join us!

Crafternoon

Thursday, January 23 |11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Well-being Lab (Rm 104), Highmark Center

Come take a break and get creative with the Wellness and Meaning-Making team for the monthly Crafternoon event.

Midnight at the Masquerade: A Murder Mystery Dinner

Friday, January 24 | 5:00 - 8:00pm
Location: CUC Rangos 3

Tickets Required: Carnegie Mellon Tickets  
Cost: $5

Dinner, a show, and … a murder?! Bring your top-notch detective skills to this interactive dinner theater performance. Watch the story unfold as you question your fellow dinner guests, seek out motives, and piece together the clues to find the killer! No previous sleuthing experience required. Wearing masks and theme-appropriate outfits is highly encouraged!

Pittsburgh Connections: Trolley Tour

Saturday, January 25 | Time TBD
Location: Margaret Morrison Rotunda

Advance Registration/Tickets Required: Carnegie Mellon Tickets (link available soon)

Explore Pittsburgh on a double-decker tour bus!

PACE Service Saturday

Saturday, January 25 | Time TBD
Location: TBD

Partners Allied in Civic Engagement (PACE) welcomes you to join in for a single-day volunteer opportunity in the Pittsburgh community. More details to come

Sign-up today! Registration available on TartanConnect

7th Annual Soup Crawl!

Tuesday, January 28 | 4:00 - 6:00pm
Location: CUC Rangos 2/3

It’s back! Warm up this winter by sampling soups from all around campus. Pick up a ballot and taste delicious soups from a variety of dining vendors. This event is FREE and open to everyone!

The Sangha

Tuesday, January 28 | 5:00 - 6:00pm
Location: Well-being Lab (Rm 104), Highmark Center

Join in for a monthly reflective space to make connections with self and others, and to be a part of a supportive and nurturing community. 

Sangha is a Sanskrit term which means community.There is no teacher and no agenda. We will begin with a centering activity, followed by a spark for reflection and some sharing. Event website.

Pressing On in the New Year: A Welcome Back Event for LGBTQIA+ Students

Thursday, January 30 | 3:00 - 4:00pm
Location: CUC Danforth Conference Room

Make space for resilience and creativity in the new year with unique heat press-on patches and custom fanny pack-making. After your craft, fill your pack with goodies and self-care items like lip balm, shower steamers, and more to prioritize caring for and renewing yourself in the new year. Refreshments will be provided.

Register Today: Pressing on in the New Year

Monthly Chair Massage

Friday, January 31 |11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Concierge Desk, Highmark Center

Join us for a free five-minute chair massage on the last Friday of every month at the Highmark Center.

This event is free and open to all. No registration required.

Fraternity and Sorority Recruitment

Fraternity and Sorority Life holds a formal process and an ongoing, open recruitment process every semester. If you would like chapters to reach out to you OR learn more about the process, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/eg772Cdb6ybxMrYr5

IFC Fraternities: Fraternity Recruitment is happening from January 20-31. To learn more, visit cmuifc.com or @cmuifc on Instagram

PHC Sororities: Continuous Open Bidding (COB) is an informal process held by chapters individually. To learn more, reach out to cmu.phc.recruitment@gmail.com or @cmupanhel on Instagram

MGC Fraternities and Sororities: Multicultural Greek Council will be hosting a rush period over the next two weeks. For more information, go to @cmu_mgc on Instagram.

Ongoing Events/Initiatives

MLK Community Celebration Events

Check out the full slate of MLK Community Celebration events and programs happening throughout January and February on The Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion’s website.

Group X-ercise Classes

Group X classes return on Monday, January 13th! Register today for one of Carnegie Mellon’s free Group X-ercise classes. Featuring a wide variety of fitness, strength, dance, cardio, weight training, cycling classes and more, there’s options for all abilities and skill levels. 

Register today: https://cmu.dserec.com/online/cr_widget/programs/1/program-classes-grid