Newcomers

Welcome to SUUSI!

SUUSI has plenty of activities for everyone, and we go 24 hours a day! The most important advice we can give you is pace yourself. The week of SUUSI is a marathon, not a sprint. Make sure you have enough time in your schedule for breaks, naps and meals. Drink plenty of water!

Each day, you can find an amazing array of things to do, including worship, workshops, nature trips, and meals. If you’re in the mood to socialize, find others at Community Time, the Common Ground Café or the Pair-a-Dice game room. Pehaps you want to dance the night away. You will find live music in a variety of venues throughout the day and night, and of course you can go shopping in the SUUSI store and the Artisans’ Bazaar. Or maybe you’d rather sit and read in in the shade. It is all available for you.

Finding Your Way

Everybody has a first time. If this will be your first SUUSI, or maybe your first time back in awhile, welcome to this amazing community! Note - anyone who creates a new account in our online registration system is flagged as a newcomer, so if you have not been to SUUSI since 2007, you will receive newcomer information too! A lot has changed since 2007.

SUUSI can sometimes feel overwhelming, even to veterans, and because we want you to feel at home right away, we have a newcomer coordinator ready to help you with the ins and outs of registering, signing up for workshops and trips, and understanding all of the special activities and experiences that are possible at SUUSI.

If you have questions about SUUSI in general, or about what it is like to be a newcomer at SUUSI, contact our Newcomer Coordinator, Dianna MacPherson, at newcomers@suusi.org and she will do her best to help you get started on your journey. If you don’t reach out to her first, Dianna will contact you after you register to help you find out all about SUUSI and the various communities you can connect with inside the very large family that we call SUUSI.
When you’re ready to register, this page will walk you through the process. Questions the page doesn’t answer? Contact our Registrar at registration@suusi.org.

Special Programs to Get Connected

SUUSI is a large community, and sometimes newcomers feel a bit daunted by its size. Newcomers often mention that nature trips, service projects, and multi-day workshops are also great ways to get to know people at SUUSI.

Learning the Lingo:

Many of our programs, traditions, and spaces have special names. Whenever you see an unfamiliar word underlined on the website, it means you can hover your mouse over it to get a definition. Here are some quick definitions in one place:

Ingathering: Kind of like a pep rally, but enjoyable, this is a high-energy, music-filled intro to SUUSI.

Common Ground Cafe: SUUSI’s self-service coffeehouse, serving organic and fair-trade coffees 24 hours a day during the week. Teas and baked goods also available.

Pair-a-Dice: SUUSI’s lounge for board and card games. Must register to participate.

Serendipity: SUUSI’s over-21 dance club. Also called “The Dip.”

CACHE: SUUSI’s substance-free dance club for ages 14 and up. Stands for “Clean Air Clear Heads Everyone.”

Bridging: Ceremony recognizing 17-year-olds’ graduation from the Teen Dorm and their transition to Young Adulthood.

SUUSI Store: Your source for SUUSI T-shirts, CDs from SUUSI musicians, and a wide variety of books and gifts.

Artisans' Bazaar: Hand-crafted creations by SUUSI’s many artists.

TWOB: Teen Way Off Broadway, a musical performed by the Teens on Friday evening. Don’t miss it!