Fall is suddenly here ... and the new academic year is bringing a host of fresh faces to campus, along with some welcome changes.

More than 10,000 new Bruins - including 6,600 freshmen and transfer students, 3,300 new graduate and professional students and 265 new faculty members - are learning their way around UCLA. The new arrivals were scheduled to be greeted at an upbeat New Student Welcome, complete with a barbecue, on Sept. 24 in Pauley Pavilion, hosted by College of Letters & Science Provost Brian Copenhaver.

Freshman Christina Louie, an 18-year-old honors student who is making her home in Rieber Hall, is looking forward to the challenges of UCLA. "I'm going to try different activities, but at the same time, stay on top of my schoolwork," said Louie, an avid volleyball player and violist. "I'm just so excited about the entire college experience!"

Equally enthused is Delaram Enayati, a junior transfer from Santa Monica College majoring in sociology. "My older brother, Pedram, graduated from UCLA and is currently attending UCLA medical school," she said. "Having a family with this kind of UCLA pride - there was not much point in even applying to another university."

Veterans on campus will be happy to note that two prominent construction projects were completed over the summer: Haines Hall and Wooden North.

The two-year Haines Hall seismic renovation project has provided air-conditioned classrooms and new lighting, bathrooms and telecommunications system.

Wooden North, a 30,000-square-foot addition to the Wooden Center, is the staging facility for the Men's Gym while the latter undergoes seismic renovation. Wooden North offers men's and women's locker rooms, saunas and lockers. "Now people have a proper place to shower and dress," campus architect Marc Fisher noted.