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August 30, 2002
Orientation
to Offer Everything from Discussion and Poetry to a Magic Bus
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Photos: Fred LeBlanc
Orientation
cocoordinators Katharine Sjoberg '03 (left) and Katherine
Betzer '04 preview Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by
in America (Henry Holt & Company, Inc. 2001), this year's
"common read" selection.
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When Katharine Sjoberg
'03 left Seattle for Mount Holyoke orientation three years ago,
she worried about being so far from home. Her worries didn't last
long. "I remember walking into the dining halls and being
greeted by volunteers in orange shirts," she said. "They
sat right down with me and were so easy to talk to, even though
I am a shy person. I thought, ‘It's not so scary being across
the country.'" Hoping to ensure an equally smooth transition
for other MHC students, Sjoberg became 2002 orientation cocoordinator
with Katherine Betzer '04, who likewise wanted to replicate the
good transition she had experienced. "What drew me in was
the boundless energy of Carrie Bullock '01," she said of
her orientation program cocoordinator. "I remember saying
to myself, ‘I've gotta do what she does.'" Betzer says
it has been "a huge honor" to fulfill that promise and
develop the "first, powerful moments as well as the ambience
of the entire first week" for the class of 2006. "I
want these women to feel proud to be part of this community and
feel empowered by the diversity that exists here," she said.
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With a fifteen-member
student board, Sjoberg and Betzer have organized four days of
events for general orientation, which begins September 1, focusing
much of their attention on small group activities that will allow
meaningful interaction between general orientation students and
participants in the College's two preorientation programs: international
student preorientation, which began August 29, and the Passages
preorientation for ALANA (African American, Latina American, Asian
American, and Native American) students, which begins August 30.
"Preorientation
provides opportunities for women who share common backgrounds,
experiences, and concerns to bond, to talk about identity, to
feel secure and supported," said Betzer. "During general
orientation, all students will start discovering their common
goals, expectations, and excitement, as well as the common characteristics
of all MHC women—passion, enthusiasm, drive, and determination
to question and push the limits of what's previously been done."
Orientation for all students culminates with convocation and honor
code ceremonies September 4. The honor code ceremony will follow
the Kendade ribbon-cutting ceremony and convocation picnic. The
pledge, which reads, "I will honor myself, my fellow students,
and Mount Holyoke College by acting responsibly, honestly, and
respectfully in both my words and deeds," will be discussed
by Persis Yu '03, chair of the Council on Student Affairs; Margaret
Robinson, professor of mathematics; and Rochelle Calhoun, acting
dean of the College, in Chapin Auditorium. New students will then
sign the honor code before being escorted by their "big sisters"
to an ice cream social on the Abbey/Buckland green.
"Uncommon Women
on Common Ground" is the theme of orientation week and the
title of a panel September 1, during which upperclasswomen will
present campus life issues, from staying safe to balancing social
life and academic workload. Following that panel, groups of ten
to fifteen women—a mix of general, international, ALANA,
and Frances Perkins students—will disperse with upperclass
volunteers. "It will be a nice space for asking questions,
more comfortable than a large group setting" said Sjoberg.
Those same small groups will meet September 2 after the popular
large group gathering "Many Voices, Many Minds," at
which students will enjoy a traditional African welcome ceremony,
learn the MHC alma mater with the Mount Holyoke Glee Club, and
write "I Am From" poems with Calhoun. The final small
group activity is scheduled for September 3, following a panel
discussion by faculty, staff, students, and alumnae about Barbara
Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America,
this year's "common read" selection. First-years are
already chatting about the "common read" at the MHC
online discussion forum at dailyjolt.com, Betzer said. "Reflecting
on the "common read" with the panel and in small groups
will be their introduction to the exciting discussion and debate
that happens every day at MHC." Ehrenreich will read from
her book Thursday, September 5, at 7:30 pm in Chapin Auditorium.
Other orientation
activities include campus tours, open houses, movies, a picnic
on Skinner Green, games at Kendall field house, and a treasure
hunt at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. New this year will
be a student-run panel on academic and social resources at the
Five Colleges, moving-in help from members of the Student Government
Association, and Herrell's ice cream served on a red double-decker
tour bus. Herrell's "Magic Bus" will be parked on Abbey/Buckland
green Tuesday, September 3, and Wednesday, September 4, from 11
am to 3 pm.
Orientation is coordinated
by the Office of the Associate Dean of the College in conjunction
with the Student Orientation Board and four student committees,
the Office of the Dean of the College, the Office of the Academic
Deans, the Office of International Affairs, the Frances Perkins
Program, and the Office of Student Programs.
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