Puzzle assembly to promote community

Thousands of incoming freshmen, transfer students and their parents will descend upon UB this weekend.

Most of these newcomers to campus will have no idea where they are or where the campus parking lots, classroom buildings or residence halls are located on a 1,192-acre campus whose 139 buildings are set among meadows, lakes and woodlands. They won't know where to pick up a "cuppa joe" or a library book. And they certainly won't know one another-yet.

But the staff in the Office of Student Affairs has come upon an event to promote a group "mingle."

From 9-10 a.m. tomorrow, as part of the first-ever "University Welcome," incoming students, their parents, faculty and administrators will piece together a massive jigsaw puzzle of the North Campus on the main playing floor of Alumni Arena. And what a puzzle it is! Designed by the UB Office of Publications, it's brilliantly colored, 70 feet wide, 27 feet long and comprised of 608 laminated pieces.

"We were looking for something fun that would break the ice and involve parents, students, faculty and administration in a collective activity," says Barbara Ricotta, dean of students. "The puzzle is factual and informative in one sense, but more important, its assembly symbolically involves the entire campus community.

"We hope everyone leaves our puzzle-making venture with an appreciation of the fact each one of us has a very important role in building and maintaining that community."

Ricotta explains that as each member of the audience enters the arena proper, 607 of them will be handed a blue, pink, yellow or green card. One person will receive a lucky gold card.

Between brief welcoming remarks by university administrators, the puzzle will be assembled. Individuals holding cards of a specific color will be called to the arena floor. They will be handed numbered puzzle pieces that they will place in corresponding numbered spaces on the floor.

Some spaces will indicate that persons holding the corresponding puzzle piece will receive special gifts-mugs, sweatshirts, gift vouchers, T-shirts, etc.

The last piece of the puzzle will be placed by the person holding the gold card, who will receive a special gift of a new computer and printer donated by UB Micro.