BUSINESS AS USUAL: FRESHMEN ORIENTATION CONTINUES ON

ZACH HINEY, TRUMPET GUEST WRITER

First year orientation looked a bit different this fall, while still incorporating unique elements from the orientation experience in 2020. 

“This year was a more traditional orientation experience” said Lindsey Leonard, the assistant dean of students. “We still had the mask mandate, but social distancing inside was no longer required.” 

This was a big difference from last academic year, when every classroom had to provide some form of social distancing.  

Another big difference between this year and last was the Knighting Ceremony and Convocation. These two events were combined last year into one event held outdoors at the Walston-Hoover Stadium.  

This fall the ceremonies were separated and occurred inside, similarly to the pre-COVID orientation structure.  

“The Knighting Ceremony occurred inside and parents were able to attend,” said Leonard. 

The kickoff to the orientation experience is the move-in process. Last fall, first-year move in took the entire weekend as the event was split up across Saturday and Sunday.  

This fall, the process was contained to one day. That, combined with longer move-in blocks, helped to create a more ‘normal’ move in experience than last year.  

There were some events that remained the same as the 2020 orientation. First-year students participated in team building activities with their IS 101 class on Monday and got to attend the Involvement Fair on Tuesday night.