It’s a very exciting time on campus – the first few days that students are here on campus and getting ready for their first classes as FALCONS. Our new students participated in a three-day program that increases their knowledge of Albertus, makes them more familiar with our campus grounds, offices and classrooms, while fostering a sense of community.
Students are assigned to an orientation group with 10-12 other incoming students. They are led by a Student Orientation Counselor, commonly referred to as a SOC. SOCs are upperclassmen that are excited to show new students everything that Albertus has to offer.The SOCs are there to guide them, give advice, answer questions, and facilitate students getting to know each other. After all, these are the people who will one day be in your classes, living on your floor in the residence halls, sitting across from you at a game, and even next to you in four years during our Commencement ceremony.
Throughout orientation there are many different sessions that the students attend and learn about various aspects of the College community. In the evenings, there are a plethora of fun activities – for example, this year, we had a bingo and Paint Night event the first night, a Kahoot Trivia Contest on night two and a Comedian perform on the evening before classes began.
New to orientation for 2017 was the Frankie’s Move in Crew. This was a combination of faculty, staff, administrators and students who came-to support our incoming students moving into the residence halls. They lifted, carried, moved belongings up to student rooms, and assisted students and families to get settled on day one.
We have also had National Keynote Speaker Ed Gerety on campus to speak to new students every year for over ten years. He has the ability to engage the students right away and gets them to open up to each other while learning to DREAM BIG.
The program also allows for small group time for the students to get personal and really open up and share information about themselves with others. Many students tell us that the friends they make during orientation are the friends they still have their senior year as they are thinking about the future.
We ended Orientation with the S
tudent Activities Fair where many of the clubs and offices on campus showcased what they have to offer to our students – it’s a great way to jump in and get involved on campus!
As a staff member, it’s really cool to see the students interact with each other and start to form those relationships. I also love the opportunities that I get to know many of the incoming students during this time – whether it’s to say hello, help them with a question or concern, or even just sharing a laugh. This experience brings the whole campus together and really sets a positive tone for the year.
For more information on how you can make a difference by becoming a Student Orientation Counselor for next year, contact Erin at emorrell@albertus.edu.
Best wishes for a fun and exciting year!
Erin Morrell, Associate Dean for Campus Activities & Orientation