Suddenly, my reverie is broken by a scratching at my door. My immediate thought is that in the wild of the Midwest, small animals roam freely in college dorms. I open the door—and immediately am thrown backwards by a sobbing woman, who upon closer inspection I realize is my mother. (Suggestion: Try looking through the peephole on your first day. You will avoid being tackled)

It is a process that every student must go through at some point during the move-in experience. Our parents have finished helping us set up our new lives and have decided that we need just a little bit more preparation.

They normally begin to toe this line when the smaller stuff, the school supplies and toiletries are being unpacked. They begin to give small suggestions about how to live in what is ostensibly your home. They transition to last minute advice about your personal life. (Hope that their guidance remains vague, specifics can be uncomfortable.)

The moment of truth comes when nothing is left to do except say goodbye—and they refuse to go. Their delaying can be quite subtle. They could try to reorganize everything in your room to “maximize efficiency.” Or, they might suddenly notice something lacking in your dorm—and decide they have to buy it for you. (You can use that to your advantage of course. How often can you make friends by giving away that third desk lamp?)

My goodbye to my family may have been easier than most emotionally, most likely due to the pony I never got when I was five (I love you Cinnamon), but it takes a concerted effort to get rid of them for good.

It requires directed questioning, “What time was your flight out again?” or “Don’t you need to be home for something?” are both effective in reminding them of the existence of the outside world.

It requires some understanding of the process they are going through. “Mom, Dad… I understand that you will miss me, but I think it is time for me to start my life on my own.” (Faking understanding can work too.)

It requires, most of all, emotional conviction. That is not to say it is bad to be sorrowful. Change can be difficult. Nevertheless, if you break down during those crucial minutes of the final goodbye, you will never be left alone. Like any decent general, they are looking for every moment of weakness. They will capitalize on it and force themselves into the breach of your open door. They will exploit your natural hesitation just to be closer to you.

If all else fails, it may even require a blunted pitchfork (a fairly easy way to get your point across to the parents without actually hurting anyone).

We need to make sure our parents understand before they leave that while we love them dearly, we are beginning to embark upon our own lives for the first time and that eventually they absolutely have to go.

We have to make them see that as emotionally jarring as leaving behind your child in a foreign city can be, it is something that needs to be done so that their emotional development can actually progress.

We should remind them of the time that they first left home for an extended period and ask them to recall the reasons behind why they left their parents behind. We need them to realize that their departure is ultimately the best thing for all of us. It’s not as though we are going to be using any fireworks, so it is finally time for them to let us celebrate our Independence Day.

Student Life: As a student athlete, how was your Orientation experience different than other students?

“It was still fun and still special, but of course it was different because we were busier, in the sense that we had a lot of mandatory practices and meetings. We weren’t able to go to every single freshmen event, which probably would’ve been a lot more fun…but regardless, we were still able to get to know our class.” – sophomore Kelly Pang (volleyball)

“First of all, we moved in a lot earlier, so we get to know our team really well. You immediately have a group of friends instead of moving in when there’s a big crowd and feeling overwhelmed by all the new people around. You kind of [know] a few people you can turn to and recognize as you’re walking to class, so I guess there’s a sense of security there.” – senior Taryn Surtees (cross country)

SL: Were there any pressures that you had to face during orientation that you feel other students didn’t experience?

“We had pretty open tryouts because we had a new coach. It was so difficult because we wanted to immediately make really close friends with the people in our class, and after the first week or so of pre-season, about half the girls got cut. It was really hard to be friends with those people and not get to see them all the time and just the added pressure, once you were on the team, worrying about playing time and performing every day.” – junior Emma Brown (soccer)

“I really wanted to fit in with the team. They were all really good friends when [the freshmen] got there, so there was the pressure to not only fit in with the people my age that I was meeting but also on the team.” – sophomore Hannah Buck (golf)

“Right off the bat, the first game is the first week that school starts, but other than that, we have a scrimmage right in the middle of orientation. As a freshman, everything is more pressured because…you’re trying to make a name for yourself on the field and you’re trying to get yourself knows.” – senior Jim O’Brien (football)

SL: What was it like to have to practice and get ready for the sport while the rest of your floormates were relaxing or getting to know the campus?

“It took [my roommate] and I a little bit longer to meet everyone on our floor because we were always the ones who were gone. We were always at practice, so we would meet people at odd hours or in odd ways.” – junior Mac Chamberlin (soccer)

“There were times when it was kind of annoying; they’d be going to do something and we couldn’t go, but it was definitely worth it. We really didn’t have a weekend at school until mid-October, so that was weird, but we really didn’t miss out on too much.” – Buck

“You kind of get some of that beforehand with upperclassmen, which is huge as a freshman, but also it’s tough seeing other people do that. It really just makes you think and makes you realize, about the sport, why you play it and why you came here. You do have to make sacrifices, but in the end it’s all worth it.” – O’Brien

SL: Would you say that being a student athlete, during Orientation, affected your ability to meet people and make friends?

“We got to meet other athletes in the fall and develop a little bit of a network, which was really nice to have at the beginning; a nice network of people that you knew from different fall sports, people you would see at the Athletic Complex, that had the same feelings you had at the beginning of the school year.” – Chamberlin

“On the whole, it definitely helped. When freshmen come in, initially you have your freshman floor that you get very close with, and while it took me longer to know my own freshman floor, I was also simultaneously getting to know my teammates’ freshman floors. Instead of just having one freshman floor, I had five different floors that I could go to and had friends on them.” – Brown (soccer)

“It perhaps affected my ability to meet people, yeah, but I think if I hadn’t been more diligent, I could’ve had the same experience as other freshmen did, but because I already had a group of friends through my team, I didn’t feel so dependent on my floor. There are plenty of people who are really good friends with their floors who still are athletes, even cross country runners, but it takes a little bit more effort.” – Surtees

SL: Do you have any advice, keeping your experiences in mind, for both the incoming athletes and nonathletes about orientation?

“Enjoy it, because the beginning the school year, if you’re playing a sport or not, is a really fun time. There’s not quite as much work as when school really gets starts to get rolling and you really have a bunch of chances to meet tons and tons of people and just have a great time.” – Chamberlin

“Because there’s a lot of things going on and a lot of opportunities for you to ‘try this’ or ‘try that,’ just make sure you do what you want to do. If there are things that you’re interested in, don’t hold back and go to them. I wish I could’ve gone to as many things as possible.” – Pang

“For me, I think it was important to figure out my priorities right away. I decided that, for me, it was going to be more important to skip some Orientation events and get enough sleep for practice than to try and do everything and just feel overwhelmed. That’s definitely a personal decision, but I think it’s a decision everyone needs to make.” – Surtees

Lee Beau WUSA Jose Antonio Sanchez gets excited as the incoming freshman class enters the Athlectic Center for convocation. WUSA applications are due this week. (Matt Mitgang | Office of Orientation)

As the Office of Orientation prepares for its annual Washington University Student Associate selection process, the relatively young program seems to have been successful in helping freshmen and transfer students with their transition into college life.

The WUSA selection process is becoming increasingly competitive, and the Office of Orientation expects to see a rise from last year’s approximately 300 applications. There are only around 60 WUSA spots each year.

Implemented in the fall of 2008, the program (WUSA) was created to help new students with their academic, personal, cultural and social integration into the Wash. U. community. The role of a WUSA is to serve as a dependable resource for incoming students to make their first year a fun and positive experience.

Prior to the WUSA program, there were Orientation Ambassadors (OAs), but unlike a WUSA, an OA’s position was only a weeklong commitment during the first week of school. The semester-long bonds created between WUSAs and their freshman floors did not exist.

Each year, two WUSAs are assigned to every freshman floor, and their responsibilities include spending a minimum of an hour per week on the floor, maintaining a floor academic resource bulletin and social calendar, and attending freshman floor meetings.

“Being a WUSA has been a very worthwhile experience for me because it expands your social and professional sphere,” said sophomore Jacob Witt, a WUSA for Eliot House 1. “I’ve made some lasting friendships with the people on my floor. There is a certain amount of patience and time commitment involved, but it’s fun, so I don’t notice.”

WUSAs say they personally gain a lot from the experience.

“Being a WUSA is important to many people just because they’re representatives for the rest of campus,” sophomore WUSA Parker Brogdon said. “Anyone who enjoys their place here would want to show it off.”

The WUSA program is increasing in popularity.

“The feedback we get each year from the freshmen regarding their WUSAs is very positive, so we want to encourage as many people to apply as possible—not just the freshmen, but also sophomores and juniors,” said sophomore Spencer Goodman, orientation executive board recruitment chair and WUSA for Lee Hall 1.

Many freshmen say they love their WUSAs and feel that they have improved the freshman year experience.

“I think that the WUSAs are extremely valuable to the freshman experience, both [through] the activities that they provide for the floor and also by the relationships that they build with the members of the floor,” freshman Nate Brodell said. “I think that having RAs [is] important, but the WUSAs can provide a different dynamic that is crucial to the freshman experience. I love my WUSAs.”

Other freshmen find the program to be less successful.

“They’re nice, but I need only point at the calendar in the hallway to state how relevant they are to the floor right now,” freshmen Francis Wu said. “I like my WUSAs and find them fun to be around, but they’ve never seemed to become as much of a fixture in the community as we would’ve liked, which I’m assuming is due to their busy schedules.”

The freshman experience, molded in part by the residential advisors and WUSAs, depends on many factors. The success of the WUSA program, and even the RA program, varies greatly depending on the individual.

“With both programs it comes down to the person, because there are good and bad WUSAs and there are good and bad RAs, and the position is only as successful as the person who carries it,” said junior Dithu Rajaraman, an RA and a former WUSA. “The teamwork of the RA and the WUSA is only as effective as the camaraderie that the two people share.”

Goodman also noted that in the coming years, there will be a greater focus on the yearlong commitment aspect of the WUSA position.

“The program is continuously evolving to better meet the needs of the freshmen,” Goodman said. “We learn from our mistakes and improve for the future.”

Current WUSAs shared Goodman’s sentiments.

“I can definitely see the WUSAs having a more active role in freshman programming and working more closely with the RAs,” Witt said.

The application process consists of an online application form, individual interview and group interview.

Leaders of the Launch pre-Orientation program welcome an incoming freshman in Ursa's Firesife. (Sam Guzik | Office of Orientation)

Pre-Orientation programs are specifically designed to help introduce freshmen to the world of Washington University; but for some counselors, pre-Orientation has become an integral part of college.
Every year, upperclassmen cut their summers short and leave two weeks early to venture to Washington University in order to help welcome freshmen to their new homes. As the freshmen use pre-Orientation to explore campus, many counselors use the time to connect to their programs, participants and memories of pre-Orientations past.

Seniors Tara Benesch and Natacha Lam both participated in pre-Orientation programs as freshmen. Tara Benesch was not given a choice because her scholarship group, Annika Rodriguez Scholars, requires all new members to participate. Natacha Lam joined “Leading Wash. U. Style,” Student Union’s pre-Orientation program, in order to ease her way into what she saw as a possible leadership position. Four years later, they both still return to their respective programs as counselors.

“All the new scholars are required to go, but not all of the old scholars are required to go. It’s a volunteer [option],” said Benesch, who has volunteered all four years. “To meet the people is why I go to pre-O as opposed to just go on vacation or go with my friends somewhere.”

Lam agrees. She comes back every year for one simple reason.

“I love pre-O. A lot of my good friends I made in pre-O…Since I had a good experience I really wanted to come back as a counselor to help them have the same great experience that I had.”

“Leading Wash. U. Style” requires counselors to go through an interview process before they are named as counselors in the program. Lam, the current chief justice on constitutional counsel, has gone through that process and has been a counselor for three out of her four years.

“It frames my year. It starts off my year, and then applying is what ends my year. It’s sort of a weird anniversary. Pre-O is just this mark.”

That anniversary starts to take on more significance as the counselors reflect on the difference that four years can make.

“As a participant, I was trying to learn things. Everything was so new but you don’t really see things from a wider perspective. As a counselor you can see where people might fit and where their passions were. When I was younger, I felt more at the same level of the participants, and now I’m going to be a senior, I’m the oldest you can get, so I feel more capable of giving advice,” Lam said.

As Lam became more capable of giving advice, she could also personally watch the effects. In fact, one of the reasons Lam enjoys coming back is to watch former participants follow in her footsteps, becoming counselors themselves.

But advice, according to Benesch, is only one reason why the counselors are an important part of pre-Orientation.

“The point is not necessarily to bombard people with advice but to give people a spring board, to give them the basics and to let them know they have a strong community and a strong family at Wash. U. The family is most important…as opposed to just trying to memorize what we tell them and see if they can survive on that.”

Whether giving advice or merely connecting, both counselors agreed that attending pre-Orientation as a senior helps give a sense of perspective on the effects of the time spent at college.

“Sophomore year was the first time I had any authority at pre-O because I was not a freshman, so I was really enthusiastic to share my experiences with the freshmen,” Benesch said. “I was really excited to answer any questions. The older I get, the more I realize I don’t have all the answers. I think I talk less every year.”

Lam, taking a step back, saw a difference not only in herself, but in her program as well.

“I’m starting to realize how I’ve changed over the past couple years, how college has changed me. Not that the freshmen aren’t still awesome and great,” Lam said. “Honestly I think SU has changed a lot in the past couple years, and you can see the change in the dedication in the counselors and the participants.”

Pre-Orientation may be a program designed for freshmen, but the experience reaches far beyond that first week of freshman year. Sometimes, the program that starts college can be the program that becomes a college anchor. And so sophomores, juniors and seniors come back every year to kick off the school year by welcoming the new class. And according to Benesch, their reasons for joining are not that different from those of their participants.

“As a senior you come back for the same reasons, but as opposed to wanting to find a group it’s like coming home to a family you’ve already established.”

The Loop is an accessible and inexpensive destination that many students from Washington University go to in their free time. With restaurants, a movie theatre, shopping and more, the Delmar Loop is a favorite among students.

Cool down with a sweet treat at Fro Yo or try Thai Country Café, which offers a great atmosphere to complement their excellent food. Catch up with friends after a few months of summer vacation in the St. Louis Bread Company. And don’t forget to drop into The Pageant and Thai Pizza Company, as recommended by sophomore Erik Skartvedt.

The Loop isn’t the only place students are spending their time, however. Many students choose to visit St. Louis’s famous Gateway Arch.

“I love the Arch, I actually haven’t been up it, but I went last year on the scavenger hunt,” sophomore Ariel Krause said.

If you don’t want to spend the money to get up into the Arch itself, the Museum of Westward Expansion, directly underneath, provides a great opportunity to visit the Arch for free and learn about Lewis & Clark’s expeditions as well as the planning and construction of the city’s most famous attraction.

In addition to going off campus, there are plenty of places right here at Wash. U. where students love to hang out. The Umrath and South 40 Houses are a prime destination for many returning students who want to check out how all the construction from last year turned out.

You can spend your time at the new Bear’s Grill, a quick, convenient place to get your food and hang out with friends. Students are also heading to hot spots like the Village and of course the Danforth University Center.

If you think it’s a cliché to just go to restaurants and visit places, try out the many popular auditions on campus and see if you can make the cut. Some students like sophomores Phoebe Tran and Martina Mok are starting the year on an involved foot by trying out for different extracurricular groups such as a theatre production with the Performing Arts Department or an a cappella group.

Wherever you are going, whether it’s the Loop, the Arch or just staying on campus, there is always something interesting to do before we delve into the world of studying. Let’s take advantage of these few precious days before the stress of classes begins and have fun!

Sharon Stahl, associate dean in the College of Arts & Sciences, will leave her position as the Director of the Life Sciences Pre-Professional Program and head up Washington University’s new First Year Center.

The First Year Center, which aims to personally connect new students to the student body and to their curricula, has yet to see actual implementation as a University organization.

According to Stahl, who is departing from her position as a four-year adviser, the First Year Center will aim to acquaint students with their classmates, advisers and professors, especially those who share their personal interests. The center will also aim to help students establish relationships with fellow students in their residential colleges.

Though the center will coordinate Freshman Orientation, Stahl pointed out that it is not strictly committed to only freshmen.

“The vision for [the center] is directed at new students coming into the community,” she said. “Not just freshmen, but also transfer students. Our primary mission would be to serve students who are coming in and making the transition. But if we have students who are continuing to need us for one reason or another, we hope that we would continue to be available.”

Dean Henry Biggs, the current director for undergraduate research, will replace Stahl as director of the Life Sciences Program. Biggs believes the restructuring would cause few changes within the program itself.

“Sharon Stahl has done a fantastic job and I think it is desirable that we perform at the same level,” he said.

Biggs added, however, that there always remains room for improvement.

“I think there are technological and logistical things that we could work on,” he said. “For example, we’re trying to make setting up appointments a little easier for students by putting the process online instead of having students coming in and signing up.”

With her new responsibilities, Stahl will not continue to advise pre-medical students except for seniors currently completing applications to medical school. Her four-year advisees will also stay with her.

“I like my advisees a lot, and I didn’t want to give them up,” Stahl said. “I will have a smaller group, but I will continue to have students as advisees who come in each year as first year students but not as many.”

Evan Blank, a junior whom Stahl advises, noted the dean’s dedication.

“She’s done a great job. She knows how to make all the resources of Wash. U. work for the students,” Blank said. “I’m really happy I’m able to remain her four-year advisee.”

Likewise, Stahl says she has enjoyed working with her pre-medical student advisees.

“I’m a little bit sad to leave that great group of students who are committed in so many ways to this community and communities beyond us,” she said. “I’m looking forward to staying in touch, but I’ll have new challenges on my plate.”

Why was everyone so riled up about Randy’s column? I’ve heard a couple of reasons.

The first is that its method was disrespectful and poorly executed. Criticism is fine, people said, but not when it is displayed in such a way. The Orientation Executive Board implies the same thing in their letter to the editor: They “would appreciate constructive criticism” sent to their e-mail address in clear opposition to what they thought Brachman’s article perpetrated.

I thought his criticism was indeed constructive: Most mandatory events entailed being talked at. Other events made it hard to interact with other freshmen. Events went late and caused sleep deprivation. Events were not memorable.

And his method, though perhaps not expert, was honest. He began with an introduction of self: “I am a freshman, and here is my personal experience.” He claims no more authority than that. He admits that he likes winning, and he acknowledges the reader-writer pact. His tone is sincere.

Comments and letters to the editor in opposition to the article, though, were generally neither constructive nor expertly formulated. Two of the comments were bitterly sarcastic: “I think your humility will truly benefit the WU community” and “I am sure that constructive criticism and positive thinking would do much to spare next year’s freshmen from suffering such a horrible fate as yours.” Needless to say, not only are these writers jerks, but also their style contradicts their own assertions.

And if we are talking about poor execution, let’s talk about the letters to the editor. I won’t point out particular parts in Joseph Marcus’ letter because I admire him for putting himself out there in the name of positivity, but I will say that I am surprised that nobody commented about his writing style—when we agree with the content, we let poor execution slip by, though we pounce on it feverishly when we think it purports controversial beliefs.

The Orientation executives’ letter, on the other hand, bothers me not so much with its sterile verbage but with its own lack of support for its claims. The “freshman orientation evaluation from this year,” on which Orientation activities appear to be “highly ranked as fun programs,” doesn’t have any bearing at all on Brachman’s claims. He made legitimate criticisms, and high “fun” rankings (and number one rankings for helpfulness in preparing for Wash. U.—duh) don’t refute those. Only good sense does, and we don’t see that in the Executive Board’s letter.

I understand as well the second criticism of Brachman’s article, and perhaps the one that most inflamed tempers: that many people had worked very hard on Orientation this year for very little compensation. A lot, indeed, was put into this event.

But hear this: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Student Life comes out with a staff editorial criticizing something in the University that has gone wrong. Last Monday, it was communication about construction. Now, I cannot even imagine the amount of resources going into construction right now and the amount of effort going into the links between Clayco, Residential Life and Washington University as a whole. It is on their minds, to be sure. But they still do a terrible job at this communication. Nobody has any idea what is going on with construction. This need to change. Using so many resources to do a job so poorly is even sadder than not having tried in the first place.

The same goes for all Student Life staff editorials, and the same goes for Student Life columns. People, generally, do the best they can. They know the goal, and they are working toward it. But sometimes they do an awful job. That’s where we step in, as an entity not so entrenched in the relevant work as to be blind to its macro results.

People work hard, but often they need to change anyway. Communication about construction certainly does. Maybe Orientation needs to change as well.

As a current member of the Freshman class, I am very disappointed to see our class represented by Randy Brachman’s point of view in his September 3rd column “Is it too early for Wash. U. to disappoint?”. Brachman argues that Wash. U. didn’t meet his orientation expectations. One fact that Brachman failed to mention, however, is that orientation shouldn’t lead to an end result, but instead it is merely a catalyst meant to jumpstart our integration into the Wash. U. community

Personally I think a great integration technique was the “bear buck” mentality. Bear bucks are Wash. U. stylized bills, that motivated freshmen received for outstanding behavior. These were traded for raffle tickets at the end of orientation. We cheered for our dorm for bear bucks, sat in the front row of giant lectures for bear bucks, and showed up on time for the latest, greatest orientation events for bear bucks. Think of where we are now! Our dorms feel like a second home. There is a mad rush to the front row of classes like GenChem. We don’t only get to class on time, but we even get there early. Bringing us into the right frame of mind didn’t only make us more prepared for Wash. U. with the lecture materials, but also prepared us for classes.

Another aspect that Brachman failed to mention is that although we may not have been socially active during all the events, the events act as shared experiences that all of us will be able to relate to in the future. Sure not everyone got to sit on the stage when Dean McCloud offered up his chair, but we, the Arts & Sciences kids, will certainly remember the generosity for our the rest of our Wash. U. careers. These events might not have conducted talking at the time, but will definitely will in the future.

In short, look towards the future. Wash. U. is our future. Orientation was a great start for the next four years, but obviously didn’t cover everything. I know I’ll have plenty of time to make up for that in my next OFFICIALLY AWESOME four years!

Joseph Marcus
Class of 2012

Dear Editor,

In response to an article written by Randy Brachman earlier this week, the student members of the Orientation Executive Board would like to share a few alternative ideas.

While we are sorry that Randy did not have an enjoyable Orientation experience, there are many other new students who did, in fact, thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the Orientation program. As a student team, it is difficult to plan a limited number of events that perfectly and pleasantly ease every new student’s academic, social, cultural and personal transition into our new community.

Still, we know that the Orientation Program has been invaluable in the lives of 1,400 new students.  Randy wrote that the Orientation program does not encourage new students to get to know each other. This is hardly true.

All of our programs facilitate communication and learning in the new Wash. U. environment. In fact, according to the freshman orientation evaluation from this year, our school’s late night activities (WuTube, SUp All Night, Club40…) were highly ranked as fun programs that helped students to meet one another. Also, many of the mandatory discussions were intended to help new students interact with each other intellectually, since it cannot be forgotten that college is about more than just meeting people—we are all here to learn. Orientation was also ranked No. 1 as the most helpful program that assisted students with their preparation for Wash. U. Most importantly, we think it should be noted that a group of current students plan many of the Orientation events, keeping in mind the interests and needs of the new students. The Orientation program at Wash. U. is highly regarded by other similar institutions as one of the most outstanding programs and orientation staffs around.

We are always open to feedback and ideas for improving our program and would appreciate constructive criticism directed to us at newbears@wustl.edu.

Orientation Executive Board

You are going to read my columns. Why will you read them? Well, you’ve already gotten this far. You may as well keep going. And also, I’m sure you can’t wait to learn more about me, and a great way to do that will be to read my articles. They will offer insight as to the content of my character (but not the color of my skin). Also, my columns might be a little bit funny, sometimes, I hope.

So what’s important right now? Orientation just ended; classes just started. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are coming here soon. I think picking Palin was a great move by whoever’s running McCain’s campaign, by the way. Those mythical Clinton supporters with no one left to turn to (scary Barack vs. scary John) can now turn to their comfort zone: women. At least, that’s the theory. Also, it guarantees that Alaska goes to the Republicans in November (Palin’s approval rate hovers somewhere around 80 and 90 percent most of the time), so McCain is well on his way to victory already.

Much more important than that, though, is what I mentioned first: Orientation and classes. After sitting through Orientation, I can say with the utmost confidence that I am terribly glad I will never have to do that again. I don’t think I sat through a single mandatory event that I thought was worthwhile. Most of the voluntary events were the same.

Sure, The Date was very well acted (props to Shauna, representing Ruby 1), and all of the various events that started at 10 p.m. and ended in the wee hours of the morning were nice, even if they did cause me (and presumably others) to become seriously sleep deprived. But on the whole, Orientation was not a good experience.

What is the purpose of that week before classes start when the freshman class gathers together? I suppose it’s at least partly so that we familiarize ourselves with campus and the surrounding area. Do we really need a week for that? Do we really need any time at all? We all got a map. We’re all smart. We should all be able to read maps.

I’m sure another purpose of that week is to meet new people and make new friends. This is certainly a worthy goal, to be sure. Having a good support system is important, and who wants to be the person who is always sitting alone in his or her room? Orientation was not actually a good way to make friends, though. I’m sure many people did just that during that week, but the setup of the program did not encourage it. First of all, the mandatory events consisted mostly of being talked at. You can’t meet someone new while you’re being talked at. That would be rude, not to mention the fact that it’s noisy and probably cramped.

The voluntary nonacademic events consisted of a movie (who meets people during a movie? You’re supposed to watch, not talk), a dance party (the music was too loud to talk over unless you went far enough away that you weren’t actually participating) and some other events that I don’t remember. If these programs had value, I would have remembered them.

Really, the only time that friendship building was a definite possibility was during whatever free time we busy freshmen had. This free time was not planned by whoever planned Orientation (that is the definition of free time). So the best time to accomplish the goals of Orientation was during the time that Orientation events weren’t actually going on. Awesome.

But now Orientation (and this article) is over, and classes are beginning. I’ll be writing every two weeks or so. If there’s any specific subject you’d like me to write about, just e-mail me, and I’ll give my editor my perspective. Have a good Wednesday.