First-year staff eager to welcome Class of 2016
First-year Fedora Jean-Francois carries her luggage into Rice Hall on August 20.
By Abigail Lovell, Editor-in-Chief
The arrival of the Class of 2016 to campus marks the first of several days of activity intended to introduce the new crop of first-year students to the College campus.
The calendar of Welcome Week events, organized annually by upper-class students and professional staff, joins storied tradition with modern amenity as incoming students follow the footsteps of College classes past on the First-Year Walk and later take up a game of laser tag at the Jaeger Center.
The Orientation programming intends, above all, to ease the transition from high school halls and parents’ homes and welcome first-year students to campus as a class all their own.
“I remember many of the events that I attended as a first-year student during Orientation,” said Senior Allison Duggan. “My
Rice Hall Community Leader Ron Malone and Resident Assistant Lauren Brauer prepare door decorations for incoming first-years on August 20.
friends and I have great memories of the First-Year Walk through town and speeches read during Convocation.
“But more than anything, I remember how friendly the entire campus seemed to be. No matter which program I was in, every speaker was so eager to introduce [the first-year students] to campus and make sure we felt included in everything that was happening around campus.”
The First-Year Staff works in frequent partnership with a number of student-led organizations, including the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and CHEERS, to design Welcome Week events and information sessions that acquaint first-year students with the facilities and services unique to the College campus.
A number of planned programs and small discussion groups also attempt to familiarize students with the pressures, risks and temptations that may be met as a student of any college.
“The CHEERS skit is an especially effective way to show the potential realities of life as a college student,” said Senior Megan Feeg, the Residence Coordinator (RC) of the College’s Hanson Hall.
The performance, directed and produced by the College’s Communicating for a Healthy Environment by Educating Responsible Students (CHEERS), realistically addresses issues regarding alcohol and drug use and sexual activity in an effort to promote cautious, thoughtful decision-making among the incoming first-year class.
“It’s important that first-year students understand the consequences of the decisions they might make over the next four years,” Feeg continued.
“CHEERS presents several different situations in a way that is entirely relatable and shows that there are ramifications to the actions that any student might take during these confrontations.”
The Class of 2016, the largest to ever attend the College at 778 expected students, will shuffle through five days of bustling activity led by a staff of Resident Assistants (RAs) and Orientations Leaders (OLs) and accompanied a small group of fellow first-year students.
Resident Assistants and Orientation Leaders are cast in the roles of guide, leader and mentor as newcomers prepare to navigate the College campus at large.
Some sophomore resident assistants kill time while waiting for the Class of 2016 to arrive on campus.
“I consider my time as an RA, and now as an RC, to be one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had at Gettysburg,” said Feeg. “There are so many opportunities to share what I love most about Gettysburg with each new class of first-year students. The Gettysburg community is always so welcoming, but never more so than during Orientation and I am thrilled to be a part of the Welcome Week experience.”
At the core of the College’s annual Orientation programming are the newly-arrived students of the Class of 2016 for whom ceremonies and events both large and small have been arranged.
First-year students will meet and mingle over Italian ice at the yearly Rita’s Social; share a meal beneath a wide, white tent as the Class of 2016 and begin enduring friendships that will likely last far longer than the brief five days of Welcome Week.
“Orientation seemed to end so quickly,” said Senior Kelly Madden. “And after all of the activity stopped, I had already made so many great friends. Orientation can sometimes be overwhelming, but you should always be willing ask questions, meet new people and stay positive.
“By the time Welcome Week is over, you will have a great group of friends that could last much longer than your four years at Gettysburg!”
