Revised Orientation Puts "You" Back Into UC From: University Currents Date: April 7, 2000 By: Dawn Fuller Phone: (513) 556-1823 Archive: Campus News, General News UC's summer orientation draws thousands of first-year students to campus each year, but beginning this summer a two-day orientation will become a more personal experience for incoming freshmen. Officials at UC's Office of Educational Services are asking for full campus participation to help new students achieve a smoother transition from home to college. The prospect of going to college can be both exciting and intimidating for new students who are unfamiliar with the large university campus and with the responsibility of getting to class and finishing projects on their own. The new orientation will offer information on how to successfully achieve that independence. Parents will be invited to attend separate sessions about how to remain supportive while letting go as their children transform into young adults. Educational Services Director Russell Curley says the new orientation process will be more developmental in nature, as well as intimate and interactive, involving groups of 12 to 16 students who are grouped by their colleges. "Our hope is that after this series of small interactions, the students will get to know a dozen people fairly well when they come back in the fall," says Curley. Undecided students will have a session with officials at the Career Development Center, which can help students match a major with their interests. Interactive sessions include programs titled, "The Nuts and Bolts of College Survival," which will not only give students ideas on how to become academically successful but also will show them how to tackle issues like getting a parking pass or dropping a class. The "Year in the Life" program will include dramatic presentations followed by interactive sessions that cover situations students often confront during their first year at school, such as homesickness, separation from a high school sweetheart or decisions about alcohol use, as well as campus involvement in student activities and Greek organizations. "If these small groups are successful and the students start feeling comfortable with each other, then someone may eventually decide to open up and say, 'You know, I'm really concerned about that. They've heard about some of these issues in high school, but it's a lot different when they get to college. We're hoping that when they encounter these situations, they'll look back on what they learned in orientation and make some positive decisions," says Curley. The second day of orientation will feature a scavenger hunt, enabling students to become familiar with the campus as they track down items at the bookstore, student health services and the records office. Curley adds that second to the academic program, recreational activities are a big priority for college students. The new orientation will be more thorough in informing students about what's available at UC recreational facilities. Students also will go through live registration this year. "In past years through priority registration, they got the schedule a month-and-a-half later. This year, they'll go home with their actual registration in their hand. They'll have their classes, the times of those classes and the names of their professors," says Curley. Students will be divided into 12 groups a day and more than 200 groups will go through orientation over the summer. Volunteers are still needed. UC faculty and staff are invited to join orientation as facilitators of the sessions. To participate, call Russell Curley, 556-2927.