HELENA — Carroll College students are back in class at Carroll College as of this Wednesday morning, with Helena College slated to start on Monday.
Carroll students celebrated their first day back with mini muffins and coffee with the President of the college, Dr. John E. Cech.
“I just wanna say welcome. Helena is a great community. This is your community, take advantage of it. Take advantage of everything that Helena has to offer, everything this campus has to offer, and Montana has to offer,” says Cech.
Every year since Cech took over as president at Carroll College, he has been hosting this informal breakfast for students to chat and say hey on the first day of school.
“And it's a great opportunity to just chat with them and talk and learn about where they're from and what they're studying,” says Cech.
With students from throughout the country and 24 different countries, Cech says that they are nearly at full occupancy as far as residence halls this year.
This year, Carroll’s dining hall will be open daily, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and feature more diverse options to eat, including a ramen bar.
Speaking of changes, Helena College, whose classes resume Monday, August 29th, will look a little different this year. Work over the past couple of years has culminated in remodeled student centers at both campuses, as well as remodeled classrooms and updated technology.
“Yep. For this upcoming school year when people come back, they'll be pleased to see the changes that we've made. It looks really fresh on campus, classrooms and communal spaces both,” says Sandy Bauman, Dean/CEO at Helena College.
President of the Associated Students of Carroll College, Ellie Sievertsen, has some sage senior advice for freshmen entering college.
“Again, like, a cliche phrase comes to mind: Be not afraid. There are so many things on campus that are available to you to get involved in. There are so many resources that are there for you. There are scary times. There are times where things are nerve-wracking and new and you're not sure what's cool and what's not cool. And college is a really beautiful time, especially at Carroll, where people support you in what's important to you,” says Sievertsen.
