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Welcome to
Fresh@News, Villanova's e-mail newsletter for parents and friends of the class
of 2011. Over the year we will be sending you occasional postings about
activities at Villanova University that relate the class of 2011. Instructions
on how to unsubscribe from this service are given at the end of this posting.
Please feel free to open as many subscriptions as you please, by sending an
email to Fresh@News.Villanova.Edu. The message should have just two words: subscribe
fresh Our first interview is with Sue Ciccone, Director of New Student Orientation. Fresh@news. You have just finished the
four-day orientation program for the class of 2011. How did it go? Sue Ciccone. We were very pleased with
this year’s Orientation program. Of course, there were the usual glitches
and emergencies, but by the end of the four days, however, I really felt that
the class had come together, ready to meet the challenges of the next four
years. Fresh@news. What were some of the highlights? S.C. For me, one of the highlights
is the difference that we see over the four days. It was very moving to see the
students and their parents saying good-bye after the picnic on the first day.
While all of the students were excited, I also saw a lot of apprehension and
nervousness as well. Then four days later, we end with the commissioning
ceremony, where Fr. Peter Donohue, our University President, officially welcomes
the class. As I looked around the pavilion, what I saw was a large number of
those same, rather apprehensive students of four days ago, who were thinking to
themselves, "I am ready for four years of college. I am settled into my
room, I have a great group of friends, if I have problems, I know where to
turn. I can do this." Fresh@News. Any other highlights you want
to mention? S.C. There are a few highlights that I
would like to mention. In addition to the programs for parents on Thursday (the
Parents Resource Fair and optional information sessions on Thursday morning),
the Parents’ Committee sponsored move-in barbecues throughout the campus
on Wednesday. The barbecues were a great addition to a very hectic day, as parents
and new students were able to enjoy something to eat while The highlight of Opening Day for me were the events that took place in the
Grotto, which included the Opening Addresses and the Opening Mass. The
addresses consisted of inspiring words from our President, Fr. Peter Donohue,
OSA, our Academic Vice President, Dr. John Johannes, our Vice President of
Student Life, Fr. John Stack, OSA, and finally words of wisdom from our Student
Chairperson for Orientation 2007, Ryan O’Connor. The mass was a wonderful
celebration of our Catholic and Augustinian traditions and a chance for us all
to reflect amidst the hectic and overwhelming day. We also had some amazing sessions throughout the four days that were
presented to the new students by current students. These programs included a
Diversity presentation, a Date Rape awareness workshop, a presentation on New
Student Concerns, and an alcohol and drug awareness presentation and discussion.
Our current student volunteers who present these programs put a great deal of
work and energy into them and their results are quite impressive. The new
students respond well to presentation and information given to them by their
peers. One of the most successful activities this year was the Saturday evening entertainment,
where there were a number of optional activities with a “South of the
Border” theme happening. The entertainment included a casino night, live
band, arcade games and an outdoor movie. Dining Services put together a
boardwalk full of traditional south of the border treats, which consisted of
taquitos, pulled pork and non-alcoholic margaritas and much more! Overall it
was a great opportunity for students to mingle and get to know one another. Fresh@News. So how does it work? How do
we help those nervous young people on Thursday become the confident new
students of Sunday night? S.C. New student orientation is really
about four things. First, we try to deal with some of the concerns and
questions that the students have. Second, we try to introduce them to the
services that will be supporting Fresh@News. Lets talk about some of those
elements. What are some of the concerns and questions? S.C. You might think that the primary
concern of a new student would be the academic work, and in the next few weeks
that is going to be a big issue for these students. But during the first days
of college, the Fresh@News. You mentioned helping the
students connect to services. Can you say a bit more about that? S.C. We really run the students all over
campus, introducing them to the many support functions here at Villanova. One
of the most important functions is that they start to get introduced to the
faculty. There is We also spend a lot of time just getting students familiar with the mechanics
of daily living. One big first step is what we call the Wildcard. This plastic
card (which actually has a computer chip right on the card itself) serves as a
meal card, a building key, a library card, and, for many students, a banking
system. Another big priority is e-mail and computer issues. Our students come
to Villanova very computer savvy, and e-mail is their link to the world, so it
is really important for a student to get connected to the Internet. We also
want students to know some of the resources that we hope they won't need right
away, like Public Safety and the Student Health Center. We cover a lot in the
four days: we don't expect them to remember it all, but it will at least let Fresh@News. You also mentioned the
importance establishing a group of friends? S.C. We find that our students form very
close relationships in freshman year with roommates and people who live on the
same hall. These relationships are very important, and often enough some of
these students will stay together as friends and roommates throughout the four years.
But, just as in any other group, the community in the residence hall can have
its own problems and tensions. One of the strengths of orientation is that the
students also form very intense relationships with a group of people who are
NOT in their residence hall. So if things aren't working out well in the hall,
a student has a separate group of friends to turn to. Even if things are just
fine in the hall, it is always good to have a wider network. We also work very
hard to make sure that the members of the orientation group are not all from
the same major or the same hometown. Fresh@News. What about the Orientation
Counselors? What is their role? S.C. One of the nicest tributes to
orientation is that so many of our students apply to be Orientation Counselors
in later years. I was an OC myself when I was a student, and it really is a
remarkable opportunity Fresh@News. Any other advice or
suggestions for parents? S.C. Just as we tell the OC staff that
orientation doesn't end on Sunday night, parents need to know that we are
always available to address questions or concerns. Obviously, college is a time
of life when students start to learn to work out their own issues, so parents
really should encourage the student to resolve whatever problem has come up. But
parents can always call the Dean of Students office at any time (610/519-4200)
or the Orientation office (610/519/7208). If we can't answer your question, we
can usually put you in touch with someone who can. Parents should also check in
with the Villanova web site, especially the Parents page at
www.parents.villanova.edu Finally, I would ask parents to encourage their sons and daughters to get involved at Villanova. We have over 200 clubs and organizations on campus! Getting involved is one of the best ways students feel connected |