Neatly stacked plastic crates, cardboard boxes of electronics and a rainbow of towels, sheets and prepurchased textbooks slowly crept out from all corners of the campus. Laundry hampers and duffle bags moved from the trunks of vans specially rented for the occasion into the eager embrace of tree-colored orientation leaders. Head-bobbing tunes by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Blondie drowned out directions to one first-year residence hall or another as a voice from a megaphone echoed throughout South Residence Lot: "Welcome, Class of 2013."The celebrated entrance of Brandeis' 51st class on Sunday marked the start of Orientation and Welcome Week 2009 for first-year students. This year's orientation, themed "Here's to the ones that can't be ignored," boasts an array of novel and traditional programs, including campus tours, the Boston Harbor cruise, academic and job fairs and a concert on the Great Lawn with performances by local bands. Author Junot Diaz will visit campus Wednesday to speak to students about his book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which students read this summer. Among the newer items on the orientation agenda are a presentation by Student Sexuality Information Services and a series of community service projects in Waltham. Programming this year focuses on initiating conversation about diversity and tolerance, with events such as the "Tunnel of Oppression," an event designed to get students talking about racial prejudice, a dialogue on diversity led by Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams and Triskelion's LGBTQA breakfast.

Orientation leaders meandered through first-year residence halls Sunday evening to pry new students from farewell embraces with parents and siblings. As the sun began to set and the bubble of humidity covering the Brandeis campus slowly lifted, herds of new students trickled onto the Great Lawn for the annual New Student BBQ. Prompted by a spontaneous eruption of dance music, orientation leaders leapt into an eclectic series of choreographed twirls, jumps and flailing arms designed to set the wildly upbeat tone for the upcoming days of orientation.

From the sighting of the first car rolling onto the Brandeis campus to the casual waves goodbye that launched near 1,000 students into their college careers, this year's move-in day was as typically overwhelming as it was warm and energy-packed.