As part of this year’s Bear Beginnings changes, longtime performance “Choices” was removed from orientation week. Next year’s incoming class is poised to have fewer choices for its pre-orientation schedule, too.

As with any major life transition, becoming acclimated to a new environment is challenging. The administration at Washington University recognizes this difficulty and programs events accordingly to help ease in the new students. These events—known as the First 40—are not without their problems, though.

In an effort to improve the quality of First Year Reading Program (FYRP) discussions, new students had to complete a mandatory writing assignment about the First Year Reading book on Blackboard.

With another incarnation of Bear Beginnings said and done, the new members of the Washington University community can now confidently strut around campus educated on our school’s policies, but maybe not ready for the day-to-day struggles of college life. “Our Names, Our Stories” tells of our various identities, “The Date” of sexual assault and violence, and “Bearings” of…well, not much.

This fall, some pre-orientation programs saw a decrease in enrollment—and therefore funding—but all received varying degrees of scholarship money for participants.
While scholarship programs allowed new students to participate in pre-orientation, budget cuts as a result of decreased enrollment meant that some programs—including the campus television station WUTV’s “As Seen on WUTV”—could not afford to put on scheduled programming.

Around a third of this year’s freshman class flocked to campus four days early last week, preempting move-in day via participation in one of Washington University’s 17 pre-orientation programs.
In general, pre-orientation programs occupy the dual role of introducing new students to each other and campus as well as recruiting them to join a campus group or organization. For freshmen in the Leading Wash. U. Style pre-orientation program, for instance, the four days before orientation are a time for both making new friends and receiving an immersive experience in the world of Student Union.

Starting Dec. 1, students will no longer have to walk to the east side of campus for a new ID as the Campus Card Service Office and other organizations will move into the newly renovated basement of the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building.

Service First, Washington University’s day-long freshman community service program, will be discontinued for future students due to logistical challenges, according to the Community Service Office.

New features of the Women’s Building’s bottom floor will include a more open space for the First Year Center and Office of the University Registrar, a gender-inclusive bathroom, a nursing room and better ramp access.

Freshman orientation saw the addition of a new production intended to educate students on issues of diversity and inclusion, the latest in a series of such initiatives on campus.