Last Monday, the Committee on the Freshman Year Social Experience issued its final report and provided recommendations to change pre-orientation, orientation and student organizations and activities.
The committee was formed last fall to examine "the ignition experience" of freshman, Dean of Undergraduate Students and chairman of the committe Kathleen Deignan said.
Faculty, students and administrators joined the group to examine a typical student's first hundred days at the University, and "how we could make it better," Deignan explained.
The committee was divided into three subsections to investigate pre-orientation, orientation and organizations and activities.
Pre-orientation
The pre-orientation subcommittee examined the University's information delivery system.
While students complained about "the overload of information that they receive over the summer," according to the official committee report, they also expressed confusion about subjects ranging from Propect's eating clubs to fraternities and sororities.
As a result, the committee recommended the University "find ways to organize the mailings [and] provide the same information on a website" to ease students fears of missing important information.
The committee was also surprised by the "impact of who you know before you come here," Deignan said. It recommended more regional gatherings to create a sense of belonging before students arrive.
Activities and organizations
To address the lack of information about Greek life on campus, Deignan and Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson sent home a letter to freshmen and parents over the summer.
The University also took further steps to open up discussion about their role in student life.
Though the University does not recognize Greek organizations, the committee met with 14 representatives to ask them to push back rush to December.
Part of the committee's purpose was to examine how to encourage "a sense of inclusiveness" among freshman, Deignan said.
According to the report, "the timing of [rush] works at cross-purposes with the University's larger objective" of freshman bonding.
However, representatives from the sororities and fraternities were unwilling to change the rush period, Deignan said.
"This proposal was not met with any interest, and we think it unlikely that the sororities and fraternies will pursue the suggestion," the report stated.
Deignan added that the "conflict with the Bicker process" was one of the reasons given for not moving rush later in the year.
Students also desired "a second chance," Deignan said, to join organizations after first semester, when they are acclimated to University life.
The committee recommended holding a second student activities fair in December.
Orientation week itself was also examined by the committee, which noted that "the Orientation schedule is overwhelming."
Informal interaction
Students felt that "advisers force them to go to events when they would prefer more social time." It was recommended that more informal interaction be built into the week.
Though an integral part of freshman experience is a connection with upperclassmen, the committee stressed a need for freshman to find a sense of belonging within their class.
Overall, the committee members wanted to encourage integration of freshman into University life through venues like Outdoor Action and Community Action — which both received positive endorsements — intramural, club, and varsity athletics, student organizations and more events involving multiple colleges.
Committee members met with numerous focus groups, including representatives from eating clubs, Greek organizations, athletes, leaders of student organizations, randomly selected freshman, advisors and administrators who all contributed to the report.
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