UALR’s Office of Campus Life kicks off the fall semester for incoming freshmen and returning students with “Reconnect: Welcome Week 2009.”

Free food, entertainment, and fun – and a few inside scoops on how to make the college experience more successful and rewarding – will mark the week from Aug. 20 to 28. Here is a rundown of events:

• Welcome Week Kickoff Carnival; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 in and around Donaghey Student Center.
• The Professor’s Guide to Making Good Grades in College; noon Friday, Aug. 21, Ledbetter Hall Room A; DSC.
• PlayFair; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24; Ledbetter Hall Rooms A, B, and C. It’s more than an entertainment event – it is a team-building experience and is the perfect way to make new campus friendships.
• Burgers at Bailey; 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Bailey Alumni Center lawn; a classic cookout for students, staff and faculty hosted by the UALR Alumni Association.
• Comedian Nick Thune; 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25; Ledbetter Hall Rooms A, B, and C. Comedian/actor/writer/bird owner from Seattle, Thune is a veteran of the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and was featured on Comedy Central’s “World Class Comedy” with his stand-up routine.
• Casino Night; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27; Ledbetter Hall Rooms A, B, and C; prizes, refreshments, and jazz music.
• Drive-In Movie: “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” starring Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber; 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28; Lot 1 next to Donaghey Student Center. Wolverine, a tale that reaches way back into the hairy mutant’s story. Somewhere in the wilds of northwest Canada in the early 1800s, two boys grow up amid violence: half-brothers with very special powers. Rated PG-13.