Events
During Wisconsin Welcome, we host some special events designed specifically to help you meet new people and start the year off right. Join us for food, fun, and friends!
Open House ~ Thursday, August 29, 3-5 pm
Games, snacks, crafts, and a relaxed atmosphere where it’s easy to make new friends. Drop in any time!
Cookie Break ~ Friday, August 30, 2-4 pm
One of our most iconic events and a great way to meet new people. We set up on the patio and give away hundreds — yes, hundreds— of free Insomnia Cookies. Plus, we break out the prize wheel. You might win some candy, a super-cool sticker, or a crisp high-five.
Welcome Worship ~ Every Sunday in September, 4:30 pm
If you’re looking for a bit of calm amidst the craziness of a new school year, Welcome Worship is a great place to start. Plus, it’s an easy way to meet other students interested in finding community on campus. Worship starts upstairs in the chapel and ends downstairs in Lower Hall where we’ll eat a delicious home-cooked meal together. We are an open and affirming church where everyone is invited to bring ALL of who they are!
***Check out our Worship page for a breakdown of what Sunday worship looks like at Pres House.
Trivia Night ~ Monday, September 2, 7:00-8:30 pm
Come alone or with a group of (up to) four people. Either way, we’ll make sure you have a chance to meet some new people, flex your trivia muscles, and win some cash!
Open House ~ Tuesday, September 3, 6-8 pm
Games, snacks, crafts, and a relaxed atmosphere where it’s easy to make new friends. Drop in any time!
Grad Coffee Hour Kickoff ~ Thursday, September 5, 8:30-9:30 am
Grad Coffee meets every Thursday morning during the semester. There’s always free & fresh coffee and tea; at our kickoff, we also buy a bunch of Greenbush donuts to share! If you’re looking for a place to connect with grad students outside of your department — or if you just want a free cup of coffee before you start your day — Grad Coffee is for you.
***Pres House is a home for grad students too. Check out the testimonials on our Grad Students page!
Speed Friending ~ Wednesday, September 18, 6:00-7:30 pm
If you feel like you got left behind on the friend-making during the first few weeks of the semester, this event is for you. You’ll get to meet everyone who comes, and we provide prompts in each round to keep the conversation flowing. Rumor has it that your new best friend is waiting for you on rotation #8.
Grad Student Welcome Cookout ~ Wednesday, September 18, 6 pm (at Picnic Point, Fire Circle #3)
Connect with other grad students and enjoy a delicious free meal, cooked fresh over a fire!
September
Candid Workshop: “Best Semester Yet!” ~ Tuesday, September 17, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Ready to have your best semester yet? Why not? It may not be as hard as you think. Spend some time imagining what that might look like for you. Then let’s get started on making it happen!
October
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, October 1, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
Candid Workshop: “Time” ~ Tuesday, October 15, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Are you a person who struggles with time? Feel like you never have enough of it? Can’t fit everything you need and want to do into the time you have? Join us and explore ways to work with time, and create more flow and balance in your life.
One Small Step ~ Wednesday, October 23, 7-9 pm
9 out of 10 Americans are exhausted by political polarization and are looking for a way out. How do we remind ourselves of the humanity in all of us despite our differences?
Created by StoryCorps, One Small Step is an effort to do just that. People get matched with someone different than themselves for a conversation—not to debate and argue, but to get to know one another and affirm our common humanity.
Join the Pres House community and sign up to be matched with someone different from you (politically, religiously, or culturally). On October 23rd we’ll come together for guidelines and then you’ll have a 50-minute conversation with your partner. Dessert will be served.
To participate, you must fill out this registration form by October 20 so we can make the matches. See you on October 23!
Check out the video to learn more!
November
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, November 5, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
Candid Workshop: “Stress” ~ Tuesday, November 5, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Feeling stressed out? Energy feel depleted? Stress is inevitable. Feeling depleted and defeated by stress is not. Join us to learn effective mental and physical strategies that help you become a stress positive person! Could be a game changer…
Grad Dinner Gathering ~ Thursday, November 14, 6:30 pm
Come for good food and conversation. Rev. Manato Jansen will be facilitating a discussion around the theology of death.
Freshman Pancake Brunch ~ Saturday, November 23, 10:30 am – 12 pm
All first-year students are invited to our pancake brunch! Come connect with other first-year students at UW-Madison over fresh-made pancakes with all the toppings you can dream of. RSVPs requested but not required.
Turkey Bowl ~ Saturday, November 23, 3-6 pm
Football with your friends, followed by a movie and potluck dinner. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, we’re making your dreams come true!
We will be playing touch football at the Kohl Center from 3 pm – sunset, then coming back to Pres House to play some fun games and wind down by watching Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. We will then end with a Thanksgiving-style dinner together. Please save the date and RSVP!!
December
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, December 3, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
Candid Workshop: “Body” ~ Tuesday, December 3, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
They say your body is your temple. Your body carries you in the world, allows you to see, hear, touch, taste and feel the world. It converts food into energy, channels oxygen from the air through your lungs into your blood cells. Your brain processes it all. What can you do to take care of your body? Keep your body healthy and strong and feeling good? Take some time to take care of the most precious resource of your life!
January
Game Night ~ January 30, 6 – 9 pm
To get ready for the new year and semester, we are having a GAME NIGHT! We will have games (obviously), dinner, friends, and….prizes?! Come hang out for a night of fun!
February
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, February 4, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
Candid Workshop: “Mindset” ~ Tuesday, February 18, 5:30 – 7 pm
Our brains generate 60,000 thoughts a day. Not all of them are helpful. Learn how to improve your mindset, so you can improve your life.
March
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, March 4, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
What’s Next? “Hopes and Fears” ~ Tuesday, March 11, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Thresholds represent leaving something behind and stepping into something new. How do you navigate change? Let’s talk about it.
What’s Next? is our group for graduating students to talk about the challenges and possibilities of the major life transition that is graduation! This semester, What’s Next? is led by Ginger Morgan, certified health coach and director of Candid.
Candid Workshop: “Consume or Nourish?” ~ Tuesday, March 18, 5:30 – 7 pm, AND Wednesday, March 19, 4 – 5 pm
Our society often encourages us to consume. Consume online content, food, drinks, products… Join the workshop and consider how to shift from being a consumer to being a person who chooses nourishment.
April
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, April 1, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
What’s Next? “Career Motivation, Networking, & Identity Capital” ~ Tuesday, April 1, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
What motivates you?
Why is networking important?
What’s identity capital?
What’s Next? is our group for graduating students to talk about the challenges and possibilities of the major life transition that is graduation! This semester, What’s Next? is led by Ginger Morgan, certified health coach and director of Candid.
Pres House Prom ~ Sateurday, April 5, 6:30 – 9:30 pm
It’s time for our annual PRES HOUSE PROM!!! This is a great time for us to celebrate the (almost) end of the school year. There will be pizza and snacks, music, dancing, and activities the whole night. Feel free to show up in your senior prom fit, a tee and sweatpants, or anything in between! The theme is Garden Glamour.
Candid Workshop: “Money” ~ Tuesday, April 15, 5:30 – 7 pm, AND Wednesday, April 16, 4 – 5 pm
It’s Tax Day! Why don’t we talk about money. What role does money have in our wellbeing? What are your values around money? What are your habit? Come learn about how to be financially healthy!
What’s Next? “New Community/New Relationships” ~ Tuesday, April 22, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Settling in to a new community can feel lonely. How do you make yourself at home in a new place, and make friends outside of a school environment?
What’s Next? is our group for graduating students to talk about the challenges and possibilities of the major life transition that is graduation! This semester, What’s Next? is led by Ginger Morgan, certified health coach and director of Candid.
May
BIPOC Monthly Dinner ~ Tuesday, May 6, 5:30 – 7 pm
BIPOC students are invited to join us for a delicious free meal and time to connect with other BIPOC students.
Bike & Brunch ~ Friday, May 9, 9 am
What better way to end the school year than with a beautiful bike ride through Madison, delicious food, and jumping in Lake Mendota with your pals?
We’ll meet on the Pres House patio at 9 am to go over ride safety before riding as a group to Finca Coffee for brunch. After our meal, we’ll head back to campus, park our bikes, and jump in the lake together to cool off!
*** Helmets are required to join the ride. If you show up without a helmet, you will not be permitted to ride with the group.
Church Unbound ~ Wednesdays, 6:30 pm
Church Unbound is our summer weekly gathering. The location varies and so does the content. We might play games, watch a movie, sing songs together, make art, go kayaking… the whole point is to continue gathering regularly and enjoy some of the unique opportunities of summer in Madison!
Make sure you are signed up for text messages from us so that you don’t miss the details of any of our gatherings: Text “preshouse” to 844-947-0722.