photo by: Mike Yoder

University of Kansas students stand and sing the school's alma mater during KU’s opening convocation Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, at the Lied Center.

Like the medical doctor he is, University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod offered some health advice for the students attending the university’s opening convocation.

“The brain works better after exercise,” Girod said during Sunday’s ceremony at the Lied Center, adding that physical activity would help students ward off the dreaded “freshman 15” weight gain in their first year.

The ceremony, which drew a little more than 100 people, offered students these and many other tips for getting the most out of their years at KU.

Speaking at his second convocation as chancellor, Girod urged the students to take advantage of all the opportunities the university has to offer. With 200 fields of study and 600 organizations active on campus, he said, there’s a plethora of experiences to be had during the year.

photo by: Mike Yoder

University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod speaks to students, faculty and staff during KU’s opening convocation Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, at the Lied Center.

Collin Cox, a senior at KU studying public administration, also urged students to get involved.

When Cox was a freshman, he said, he spent the first two weeks of college sitting indoors, playing computer games and wondering why he didn’t have any friends.

However, when he told his sister, a KU alumna, about this, she told him to get online and look at Rock Chalk Central, which lists every student organization. He emailed Student Union Activities, a student-led organization that plans events on campus, and heard back the same day.

“I joined, and that night I had 30 friends requests, just from joining,” he said.

photo by: Mike Yoder

University of Kansas senior Collin Cox addresses incoming freshmen at KU’s opening convocation Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, at the Lied Center.

Cox said the university didn’t change him — it just offered him many opportunities, and he took advantage of them.

“Challenge yourself to take risks,” Cox said.

He also advised students to talk to their professors when they need help in their classes and warned them to stay out of dangerous situations.

“No matter how much training you had on sexual assault and harassment, it does happen on this campus,” Cox said.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Jennifer Hamer, vice provost for diversity and equity, and Carl Lejuez, interim provost and executive vice chancellor, share their college experiences at the University of Kansas’ opening convocation on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, at the Lied Center.

Interim Provost Carl Lejuez warned students of a different kind of risk — one that he said nearly caused him to slip through the cracks in college.

Lejuez said that when he was a student, he got so depressed that he stopped going to class and thought of dropping out. He was able to get the help he needed, however, when someone reached out to him and suggested he go to his university’s counseling center.

Lejuez told the students that if they needed help with mental health issues, they shouldn’t hesitate to contact KU’s Counseling and Psychological Services department.

Following the program, the faculty and students joined arms and sang the alma mater.

“It was very energizing and uplifting,” said Sally Maliski, dean of KU’s nursing school, adding that Sunday’s convocation was very modern and geared towards today’s students.

Allison Ellis, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, said the convocation was very welcoming.

“I enjoy it every year,” Ellis said.

Freshman Rachel Braaten, from northern Wisconsin, wasn’t expecting the convocation to be so informal. But she said she liked it.

“I’m excited for the year,” Braaten said.

Classes begin Monday morning.