Orientation programs get ready for freshman

The campus orientation programs crew is working hard in anticipation of the influx of incoming freshman who will make their way to Bloomington this summer for Orientation. The team is now packing up and preparing to move to their temporary office in Wright Quad, where space is large enough to accommodate more than 6,300 expected students. \nOrientation is not scheduled to begin until June 18, but the permanent orientation office in Maxwell Hall is a busy place. In addition to packing for the move, the orientation staff is making final touches to the programs. They are practicing their presentations and stuffing bags with information material for students and parents. The office and reservation staff also continues to take calls and schedule dates for students and parents. \n"It's pretty much organized chaos right now," Student Coordinator Hope Marasco, a junior, said. But she said this year's staff is ahead of schedule compared to last year's, and credits the restructuring of the program by former orientation leaders. This year the orientation team started work earlier in the year and had more hands-on training.\nThe team has already begun preparing some students for life at IU. Last Wednesday through Saturday, members of the orientation programs flew to New York City and allowed 240 students who would not be able to make it to Bloomington this summer, to go through orientation presentations, register and hear from professors and members of the University Information Technology Services.\nWhen students go through orientation in Bloomington, they undergo two days of programs and activities that essentially prepare them for IU. Typically, on the first day, students are tested for class placements and given an advisor meeting in a group setting with orientation leaders. Other group programs with leaders involve question and answer sessions where students can ask any question they would like about college concerning transition into college, student life and opportunities available for them. All of the programs take place in academic buildings in the heart of campus, such as Jordan Halls, Ballantine and Woodburn.\nFor the parents, orientation programs offer the parents a three-student panel and allow the parents to fire questions at the students. Questions can range from the type of computer they should have their children bring to how many rapes really occur on campus each year.\nJoellen Griffin is a mother of an incoming freshman and believes she has a lot of questions. "One thing I'm concerned about in particular is campus transportation because most freshman don't have cars," she said. "For the most part though, I think I will get all of my questions answered once I get down (to Bloomington) and start looking around and reading the information given." \nOrientation leaders have been trained on how to answer questions. They have also been advised to answer the questions as well as they can and to be as honest and appropriate as possible.\nAs a former leader, Marasco has sat on the student panel and added, "It can be very nervous to be up there because 200 parents look at you. What you say effects how they view IU and experiences they anticipate for their children. You are the embodiment of IU at that point in time. It's very unique to be in the situation though."\nStudents and parents also get to hear a speech from a professor's prospective, which involves a professor enlightening students on what professors expect from them and what they should expect from professors.\nFor instance, some students will hear "Barbour's 10 hints for a successful college career" from political science professor Christine Barbour. "The talks are fun to give," she said. "I'm not sure how students receive them, but the parents seem to like them a lot. They always tell me they want to come back to school!"\nAt night students enjoy an open house at the Indiana Memorial Union. They can bowl and play billiards with their parents for free and eat free samples from food vendors.\n"The Union can be big, so it's a great way to see what they offer," Melanie Payne, the associate director of orientation program, said.\nThe students have the option and are encouraged by orientation programs to stay in Wright overnight with a roommate to get a feel for dorm life. While in the dorm, they partake in social activities coordinated by orientation programs like basketball outside on the courts, volleyball and a movie shown inside the food court. Orientation programs give parents the option of staying in Willke Quad if they like, but the majority of parents stay in hotels around town or the IMU.\nOn the second day, orientation becomes more personalized. Students get to meet with an advisor and register for classes. They also take a computer class with UITS and receive their username, password and learn about the computer and computer ethics at IU.\nParents visit the resource center in the Main Library where academic and cultural resource organizations on campus have tables set up in the main lobby to answer questions and inform parents what is available to their children.\nThis is the first year the resource center will be inside the library. For the past five years orientation has had its summer time office in Read Center and the resource center in Wright. Because of renovations, the office had to move freshman check-in to Wright, leaving the library lobby as the only room big enough on campus to accommodate the resource center. Orientation programmers believe the library will work out well because it is a more central location and will expose students and parents to more buildings on campus.\nMaking sure students and their parents understand what's in store for them in the fall is the program's main goal, Orientation Reservation Specialist Christiane Hassel, a junior, said.\n"We're looking forward to getting students through orientation and making it the best experience we can," she said. "Orientation acts as a stepping stone into the fall, so we want to make them look forward to coming to IU"