Student Life organizes leadership program

Program to run at first-year orientation

Beginning next fall, 50 student Orientation Leaders (OL) will be assigned to help incoming students become adjusted to Oberlin during orienation week. The goal of the program is to recruit leaders that will be availiable as a personal link between the incoming students and Oberlin.

The architects and coordinators of the OL program, Special assistant to Student Life Terry Bump, Associate Dean of Student Life Kenneth Holmes, and Assistant Dean of Student Life Julia Nieves, formed Orientation Leadership in an attempt to bring more exitement and personalization to orienation. Holmes said students in the previous orientation programs "did not feel a sense of excitement." Furthermore he said, "orientation was like a to-do list."

The committee is pushing for an orientation program in which students play a larger role. This not only includes the incoming students for whom orientation is designed, but for the student OL's running oriention. The student OL's, who range from sophomores to seniors, receive a stipend of $100 and room and board for two weeks.

However, the greatest benefit the OL's reap from their leadership roles are received in the form of experience. They will gain leadership experience, develop relationships among students, staff, and faculty, and will acquire communication skills, according to organizers.

In the past, RCs and CROs have played the predominant role in orientation. While these individuals were invaluable to the orintation program, they had other responsibilites. Orientation Leaders will focus entirely on orintation. They will have no other responsibilities other than those pertaining directly to orientation. This will allow orientation to become more comprehensive and prevent the leaders from being restrained by other duties.

The OL's must assume many responsibilites and tasks during orientation. OL's will lead discussion groups, assist in the preparation of orientation events and materials, familirize students with Oberlin's academic opportunities and procedures, aquaint students with the campus, assist in the registration process, and if necessary, discuss sensitive issues.

The orientation leaders will all be aquainted with one another. Communication among the OL's will allow them to interact and assist each other. Each OL will be responsible for approximately 16-20 students.

All three coordinators of OL are very excited about the project. The idea of OL, while being novel to Oberlin, is not a new concept to most colleges. Holmes, who worked at St. Mary's College in Maryland, before coming to Oberlin two years ago, helped coordinate a orientation leadership program similar to OL. The rationale for forming a similar program at Oberlin, according to Nieves is, "Other schools are doing this.Why not Oberlin?"

The committee is currently preparing activities and plans for the Orientation Leaders. Applications to become an OL are still being accepted.