The Red and Black

Issue date: 6/14/07 Section: News

Media Credit: LINDY DUGGER Eric Tonn, a University orientation leader, teaches incoming freshmen and their parents how to "call the dogs" outside the Tate Center before lunch during the first freshman orientation session of the summer on June 7.

Before many incoming freshmen can become true "Bulldogs," they must undergo the ritual of freshman orientation.

This summer, over 4,800 incoming freshmen will spend the night at Creswell Hall during one of the 16 two-day orientation sessions.

With 300 students per session and only two days to prepare for their first year in college, Director of Orientation Eric Johnson said, "They are in for a very packed schedule."

The students' guides for the experience include 12 orientation leaders narrowed down from over 100 applicants.

Johnson said the leaders are chosen based on their communication skills and having a good, strong heart.

The leaders' goal is to create an atmosphere in which the students can feel comfortable as they enter a new environment.

"There are myths about what it takes to be an OL, but it doesn't matter where you're from or what your major is," Johnson said. "We hire them based on how they stand out in the interviews."

Morgan Cogswell, a junior from Windermere, Fla., said, "Being an orientation leader was something I felt I was born to do."

The first day for students involves taking placement tests, smiling - despite the heat of summer - for their UGA ID photo, a campus tour, various information sessions and a small-group discussion with their assigned orientation leader.

"I feel like a lot of freshman come not knowing what to expect from orientation," Cogswell said.

"There are rumors about Athens being a certain type of place and orientation helps dispel those rumors," she said. "It shows that all kinds of people come here, not just one type of person."

However, orientation is not only for students. Parents also attend and have their own schedule of activities.

The University hosts informational sessions each day to educate the parents on what to expect for their children in the coming year and how to help the students prepare.

Orientation leaders host one of the sessions - a panel discussion for parents.

"Our job is really connecting them to the University from a student's perspective," said Kate Kotsko, a junior from Eureka, Miss.

At the end of the first day, students and parents attend a skit designed and performed by the OL's.

The popular skit, called "Orientation Live," features a University-themed rap, a student-produced "America's Next Top Model" and a Budweiser-inspired commercial honoring Food Services' J. Michael Floyd.

Lauren Laucher, an incoming freshman from Alpharetta, attended the June 11-12 session.

"It's important for us to go through this process," Laucher said. "Orientation is like our initiation. Now I really feel like a UGA student."

On the second day of orientation, students meet with advisers before registering for classes.

While Johnson and his orientation team are faced with the task of creating an experience that will prepare students for college life, they also accept the reality of the situation, he said.

"There is no way we can prepare them in two days, but if we can have them walk out of orientation feeling less anxious about starting college in the fall and ready to take advantage of all of the opportunities that UGA has to offer, then we've done our jobs."


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