The first members of the class of 2008 attended orientation last week, during the opening session, which began Thursday, July 1.
It was the first of eight orientation sessions to be held this summer, plus one additional session that will be held in the fall, Summer Orientation Director Tabitha Enoch said.
Enoch said there were only minor changes made to this year's orientation process.
Incoming students will now meet with their orientation leader and group at the beginning of the first day, rather than at the end. At that point, students will have the opportunity to participate in "ice-breakers" and other team-building games on the Lawn shortly after attending the welcome address in Old Cabell Hall.
"This way, students can begin to facilitate relationships with their peers earlier on in the day," Enoch said.
She added that this change in scheduling came as a result of student feedback from previous years.
"The groups gave students the opportunity to meet a select group of their friends," Jodi Neuhauser, fourth-year senior orientation leader said. "Then they were more comfortable asking questions and participating throughout the day."
There currently are 3,373 students registered for summer orientation, Enoch said. She added that this number is about the same as last year. Orientation will be held every Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday in the month of July.
Each orientation session includes approximately 400 students, a number that Enoch said the orientation leaders are more than capable of handling.
"We are reaching a capacity, so we're always thinking of ways to restructure," Enoch said. "Not from an organizational perspective, but from a space one -- we're just running out of it."
This summer, there are 28 orientation leaders, from all over the country, who are responsible for introducing the students to their new university. The competitive selection process for these positions was completed in March.
"They are fabulous," Enoch said. "Every year they invigorate me and help me to be reenergized in my job."
The Office of Summer Orientation also will hold a Graduate Student Orientation, Tuesday, Aug. 31. The Graduate Orientation is a resource fair of important information that graduate students will need while at the University, Enoch said.
The orientation session being held July 22 and 23 is for transfer students only. Enoch said the reason transfers attend a different session is because although they are new to the University, they are not new to the University experience.
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