Orientation Revisions Emphasize Honor Code

Author: Paul Barnwell

The Middlebury College Office of Student Affairs Staff has outlined several revisions intended to improve next fall's first-year orientation week. These include a revised introduction to the Honor Code and a bumping back of the official student move-in day from Monday, Sept. 2 to Sunday, Sept. 1.

Other measures include new parent and family programs, a library and information services orientation, Honor Code discussion groups and a diversity initiative. The College has also planned to accommodate the Jewish community since the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, will begin on Sept. 6 during the second weekend of orientation.

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Karen Guttentag outlined the reasons for changing move-in day. "We did an evaluation and got feedback that students felt the pacing of orientation was too fast. They didn't have time to get their basic needs taken care of," she said.

With the extra day, students should have ample time to unpack and set up their rooms, she continued. "It's really essential that you come back to a room and feel settled," Guttentag said. "If you can't do that, we may be contributing to their disorientation."

Not only will the pacing of orientation be moderated, Guttentag said, but also the needs of families will also be met. The traditional Monday move-in day was inconvenient for family travel schedules, she said, since many students ended up arriving on campus before the official opening day when help from resident assistants and junior counselors was not available.

This fall, however, a presidential reception is tentatively scheduled at 4 p.m. on Sept. 1, followed by a casual dinner for students and families. A presidential address in Kenyon Arena will conclude the evening's events. Parents will then be offered a series of optional academic and student affairs sessions on Monday morning.

The new Honor Code orientation will involve plans for small group discussions to enable students to raise questions and talk about the Code. "We found it was difficult for students to grasp the important foundations of the Honor Code by looking at it or listening to a speech," Guttentag said.

The interactive small-group approach was successful during February first-year orientation this year, Guttentag said, adding, "Feb leaders reported they had great, engaging discussions."

Student Co-chair of the Community Council Erica Rosenthal '02 said she believed the new approach would be well received in the fall. "I anticipate that student reception of the changes will be positive," she said. "Increased emphasis in orientation on the place of the Honor Code in our community is a positive step towards increasing the level of academic honesty on campus."

Additionally, Dean of Library and Information Services Barbara Doyle-Wilch and Dean of Student Affairs Ann Hanson organized a pilot program for this year's Feb students to learn about the College's computer and library systems. Incoming students were given an assignment upon arrival at the College that required them to access and explore the information services.

The assignment was completed individually or in student groups. Guttentag said groups of students "were mostly successful" with the task. Drop-in help sessions were also available to students. In the fall, Student Affairs staff hopes to build upon the information orientation while keeping it creative and interesting.

While the diversity initiative was not tested during Feb orientation, there are several possible activities planned for the fall, including provocative summer readings with accompanying questions for students. Guttentag said the goal of the initiative was to "help students feel excited to take the initiative to seek out areas and people with whom they might be unfamiliar."

For athletes, international students and others who arrive on campus well before the official opening day, orientation will still be tailored to "make sure they are fully integrated into all of the orientation programs," Guttentag said. An Orientation Corps Planning Group, consisting of representatives from various campus groups, is currently being formed to help meet the goal of full orientation integration for all students.

Lastly, incoming Jewish students will be able to attend Rosh Hashanah services at Mead Chapel that commence on the evening of Friday, Sept. 6 at Mead Chapel without missing orientation trips.

"Any Jewish student who wants to be back in time for services on Friday evening will be able to register for specially designated orientation trips," Associate Chaplain Rabbi Ira Schiffer said. "When Rosh Hashanah and orientation have coincided, the College has always tried to accommodate students," he added.