Under the Raydar - 09/09/10

Taking part in orientation meetings as a senior has been: hilarious, exciting, redundant, but above all else, eye-opening. It is surreal to be back on campus as an FYC to watch the sweaty move-in-day-goodbyes, the excitement of new connections, the awkward lulls in conversation, the name games and the far-from subtle emergence of Middlebury lanyards.

Even though I have been a part of ResLife for three years, this year’s orientation surprised me, probably because while at the University of East Anglia in England last year, I had the opportunity to experience another school’s take on orientation. When I arrived on campus, I had a few British students help me carry my bags to my flat, where I a “welcome” box with two candy bars, take-out menus, a pen and a map, and a few days later, a severe meeting with our Resident Tutor who went over the basics: no loud parties, no trashing the kitchen, the library is over here (but most likely none of you will read the books), here are emergency numbers to call should you need it, get out of the flat if there’s a fire, any questions?

At Middlebury, on move-in day, a CRA, a bunch of FYCs and in some cases a Commons Dean shuffle and sweat to move in all the first-years. Oh, and there is complimentary cranberry bread. There are hall meetings, icebreakers, theatrical performances, a scavenger hunt, apple picking excursions, a trip to Breadloaf, a square dance, various induction ceremonies, an academic information forum, group book discussions, diversity workshops, policy meetings, a photo booth, an extravagant dinner with a slideshow … the list goes on.

One could call this intensely structured schedule “hand-holding.” Maybe it is overdoing it. And yet, when I think about my experiences interacting with Midd kids versus my first few weeks in England, I see that, overdoing it or not, the orientation programs implemented by Old Chapel and the ResLife team truly cater to what this school is, and what this institution is striving to become, over and over, year after year. That is, a place full of the friendliest, most accepting, most engaging people I have ever met.

As the girls on my hall have all been getting oriented, I started to think about how I could prepare for this year, how I too, could become “oriented” in the right direction. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “orientation” as “the action or process of ascertaining the one’s position relative to the points of the compass, or other specified points; the faculty of doing this; awareness of one’s bearings or relative position.”

What is our relative position? Beyond name games and ninja, beyond “Stand” and other barrier-breaking activities, we have a real chance to know each other here.

After the start of our first year, we do not need name games and icebreakers. It is refreshing that we are willing to break the ice, though, to go deeper, and to make new connections and friends.

Our relative position is one of opportunity. Even though we have our own close friends and groups, it is not too late to invite someone to walk with us, to talk, to laugh with and learn from. We should be aware of our bearings: a half-empty table at Proctor, a long stroll from the Chateau to Bi Hall, the stairs outside of the library. We are in a place where we are all from different points on the map, but all of our compasses are pointing forward. Our relative position is here, it is now; it is a starting point every day.