In a decision geared toward enhancing the transition to campus life, Orientation Leaders (OLs) were paired with Resident Advisors (RAs) during this year’s orientation program. This idea was designed to encourage more casual interaction between OLs and their assigned students, but ultimately left some OLs puzzled about their roles.
“There was no function we provided that was not already filled by the RAs,” said Jesse Young ’06, an orientation leader the last three years. “OLs’ only contact with freshman was during nightly hall meetings, where we had almost nothing to do besides read off the various events in the orientation guide, which freshman could easily do themselves.”
In the past, OLs met with students in conjunction with their faculty advisors, providing a peer voice during discussions of course loads, requirements, and majors, and complimenting the academic and administrative input of the advisor. This year, OLs fulfilled those roles in a limited capacity.
“Instead of assisting with questions involving academics and extra-curricular activities at Wesleyan, we were dealing with the rules and regulations,” said Jeremy Marks ’07 of the OLs’ new function.
The partnership between OLs and RAs was decided by Dean Shelley Stephenson, interim director of new student programs, along with Vice President and Secretary of the University Peter Patton and members of the Residential Life staff. The intention was to have the OL serve alongside the RA as another helpful voice and ear within easy reach of new freshmen. By having OLs live in the same dorms as the students they are assigned to, they were able to see a familiar, older face during orientation week, and extend their relationships well into the school year.
“Hopefully, this [change] will allow the OL to maintain regular interaction with the new students throughout the semester,” said Orientation Intern Jeff Kessner ’07. Kessner maintained the new system had its merits and that the OL still has a valuable role in the orientation process. He did acknowledge, however, that the new system has some kinks to work out.
“The administration is aware of the problems and will work to rectify them for next year,” Kessner said.
Another issue resulting from the new approach was a general unfamiliarity between the RAs and the OLs themselves.
“We were as much a mystery to the RAs as [the freshmen] were,” Marks said. “That made working as a team difficult and also did not [lend] itself to creating a friendly dynamic in meetings.”
Not everyone involved in orientation felt the changes worked against the RA/OL relationship.
“My OL filled in the residents on orientation events, which was helpful, as I did not know many of the relevant details. I thought it was a good system,” said RA James Bleshman ’08. According to Bleshman, the OL’s role was to make freshmen aware of events outside the dorm while he, as an RA, tended to activities and issues within. In this way the OL was still an important resource for new students.
The actual impact on freshmen seems minimal. Members of the class of 2009 found the OLs operated as social guides during their first week, contrasting the more formal leadership of the RAs.
“The [OLs] let us know what was going on. They told us about more social stuff,” said Andrew Fogliano ’09 who consulted his OL about where to go at night.
Despite the apparent reduction in their duties, this year, OLs received payment for their services for the first time.
“Yes, we were paid this year, but I would gladly pass up $100 for the kind of personal connection the old system allowed me to forge with freshman,” Young said. “In general I felt largely like third a wheel in a process that had been deliberately designed to reduce my role in the actual orientation of new students.”
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