Going Beyond the Classroom
Student life at Webster Athens is more than sitting in a class. There are many events and activities designed to entertain, inform and challenge. Faculty, staff and students also work together to organize network opportunities, from academic conferences and workshops to forums.
Cultural Awareness, Diversity, Service Learning and Volunteering
Webster Athens is committed to serving the community in which we live. Students develop civic engagement skills and gain important life experience. We encourage our students to get involved and participate in any of the following opportunities: Annual Blood Drive, Annual “Walk for the Cure,” Assisting the Hellenic Relief Foundation, Beach Cleaning (Archelon’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center), Bi-Annual Food and Supply Drive for Refugees, Holiday Party for Refugee Children, Webster Works Worldwide and World Clean Day.
Annual Student Events
August
- Week 1 BBQ: The week 1 BBQ takes place the week after orientation in order to give new and returning students the opportunity to spend time together and create new friendships in a fun-filled environment with good food, music and activities.
September
- Annual Walk for a Cure for Breast Cancer
October
- Mid-Semester BBQ at Our Cultural Center
- Halloween Party: The Halloween Party is the first party of the year, which follows a Halloween theme and is often accompanied with a costume competition, hosted by our Cultural Center.
November
- Potluck International Thanksgiving Lunch: Thanksgiving is the time of year when students prepare traditional dishes from their countries for everyone to enjoy in a multi-cultural atmosphere.
- The Athens Classic Marathon: Students can participate in mini-marathons or as a volunteer for the Classic Marathon from the town of Marathon to the first modern Olympic Stadium in Athens. The distance is 42 kilometers or around 26 miles. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of Greek soldier Pheidippides, who ran from Marathon to Athens to report victory against the Persians in 490 BC.
December
- Annual Holiday Party for refugee children at Caritas Refugee Center in Athens.
January
- New Year's Cake-Cutting Ceremony: Vasilopita is a traditional New Year’s cake cut in every home and business/organization in Greece at the start of the New Year. It is a special cake where a coin is baked inside and the person who gets the piece with the coin is said to have good luck throughout the year. It is an event for the entire Webster Athens community, faculty, staff and students.
February
- Black History Month: Movie/pizza event in honor of Black History Month.
March/April
- “Tsiknopempti” BBQ Thursday: This is a day where Greeks eat meat for the last time before Lent begins. There are BBQs all around Greece, and we celebrate the event at our Cultural Center.
- Greek Independence Day, March 25: We celebrate with a large military parade.
- Carnival Party: Our Student Council organizes a carnival party where students can celebrate at our Cultural Center with costumes, music and dancing.
- Clean Monday: The first day of Lent during which we celebrate by having picnics and flying kites.
- Greek Easter Break: Students can travel around Greece and visit any of the islands or villages to see traditional Greek celebrations. Easter in Greece is the biggest holiday and is celebrated all around the country, with different areas having different customs.
- Beach Cleanup for Let’s Do it Greece
May
- May Day (Labor Day in Europe): Our farewell end-of-semester BBQ at our Cultural Center.
Club Opportunities
The main activity of football club is meeting up every Saturday to play and have fun in a competitive yet friendly atmosphere. Every once in a while, when we find the opportunity to do so, we participate in a tournament or organize a game with another club, but the most important tournament we enter is the Webster European Cup.
We pick players for the teams in the tournaments we play based on a combination of how serious they are on Saturday training and of course, their ability to play football. Most of all, the football club is more like a family than just a team.
The Cross Cultural Club aims to spread awareness about different cultures, languages and politics by studying features of these cultures through club events. After finishing a four-week block about one country, the club holds an event that can reflect the most interesting aspects of this culture, such as art, music, cinematography and traditional foods.
Additional Past Student Events
Global Student Leadership Summit
The GSLS is a high impact learning experience for Webster University student leaders to gain knowledge, skills, and to create positive change in a global environment. Students were selected to participate in the summit because of their strong leadership potential and the ability to work collaboratively across differences. By developing relationships with peers from throughout Webster’s global network, participants will gain a better understanding of the impact student involvement has on their local campus and Webster University worldwide.
Embassy Receptions
At the Poland, Bugaria and Hungary embassy receptions, students observed ambassadors, official representatives, members of the defense sector, ministers, academics, and other notable individuals as they interacted with one another. The students had the opportunity to network with diplomats, government officials, and professionals from international organizations.
Webster Athens International Relations Students Attend Embassy Receptions
Ambassadors’ Socio-Political Forum
This annual event hosted by the International Relations department provides students with a conceptual understanding of diplomacy and international relations. Students have the opportunity to analyze the factors leading to significant global developments and deepen their knowledge of various contemporary and vital areas of foreign policy studies.
Ambassadors’ Socio-Political Forum Engages Webster Athens Students in Global Diplomacy
WebsterLEADS Retreat
The retreat, held every fall semester for European students who are part of the WebsterLEADS program, offers students the chance to learn new leadership skills, meet like-minded students from other campus locations and broaden their global knowledge by being immersed in a different culture.
Webster University Holds Annual European LEADS Retreat in Athens
Learn More
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