September 4, 2014
“I can’t imagine a better way to start college and set yourself up for having an amazing four years at Hamilton than by participating in pre-orientation,” said Malindi Chesnut-Tangerman ’15, a three-time OA/AA leader. “Pre-orientation is one of my favorite parts of the year.” Hamilton’s beloved pre-orientation program has grown in popularity over the past several years, but it is about to undergo a huge transformation: beginning with next year’s class of first-years, pre-orientation will be mandatory.
As a part of its pre-orientation program this year, Hamilton College ran 31 Adirondack Adventure (AA) trips, two Outreach Adventure (OA) trips, and four eXploration Adventure (XA) trips. XA, the newest addition to the program, was created to attract students who have more academically-based interests. Student leaders pair with faculty members to lead trips that include a combination of museum visits, movie viewings and service-learning and site-seeing activities.
This year, the four XA trips included Beekeeping with Dean of Students Nancy Thompson, Food, Mind, and Body with Professor of English and Creative Writing Naomi Guttman, New York Warfare with Professor of History Maurice Isserman and Arts and Culture of Utica with student leaders.
Jennie “JX” Wilber ’17, leader of the Food, Mind, Body trip, explained how constructive her trip was for herself and her participants. “Pre-orientation means a chance to meet others, have fun, and learn something new without the stress of school,” Wilbur said. “It’s a time to develop yourself while challenging who you were and envisioning who you want to be.”
The addition of the XA trips to pre-orientation is only a preview of the changes that will occur in the program. Coordinator of Orientation and First-Year Programs Tessa Chefalo estimates that about 25 XA trips will be added for next year’s mandatory program, along with 31 AA trips and six OA trips. Chefalo emphasized that the program will still keep its tradition of fostering small, close-knit groups where new students can easily get to know one another and become comfortable at college. “The plan for next year is to maintain the group sizes that have characterized pre-orientation trips in the past,” she said.
“The small number of students per trip is an important aspect in relationship building and the authenticity of the experience.”
Making AA, OA or XA mandatory also means that pre-orientation and regular orientation will essentially become combined into “one universal Orientation program for all first-year students,” as Chefalo put it. “This will include a small group trip (AA/OA/XA), as well as some of the programming that has been a part of on-campus New Student Orientation in the past.” Chefalo, along with Director of Community Outreach Amy James and Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings, is currently in the process of working out the details for next year’s orientation schedule. With the large expansion of the program as well as the melding of pre-orientation and regular orientation, many specifics still need to be decided. For instance, Chefalo noted that she, James and Jillings will be thinking about how to hire leaders for orientation. “Student leadership of orientation under the new model is a good question, and one we have not fully sorted out yet,” she said, but now that this year’s orientation is over, they will proceed to answer such questions.
Despite the large amount of logistical planning ahead, Chefalo is optimistic and excited about the new orientation program. “My hope is that full participation in XA/OA/AA trips will allow all first-year students to begin their time at Hamilton with strong connections to at least a few of their fellow students, and a better understanding of the Hamilton community that they are entering,” she said. “I also hope that moving to a universal New Student Orientation will alleviate some of the disparity in experience that might currently exist among students who do/do not participate in pre-orientation, and will create one orientation experience shared by all Hamilton students, and a more seamless transition into life at Hamilton.”
Although pre-orientation will not continue as a separate program, it will remain a significant and fundamental part of the overall orientation experience for next year’s first-years. As OA leader Hannah Corman ’16 notes, “The program allows for incoming students to develop lasting relationships with their leaders and other participants that create an irreplaceable experience.” Starting next fall, all incoming Hamilton students will have the opportunity to create such valuable experiences.
No comments yet.
Comment Guidelines
Please log in to post a comment