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Printer-Friendly ModeNew Cards keep campus alive during orientation
June 8, 2009 —
The fresh flock of Cardinals attending student orientation this spring and summer indicates the University is one nest that won’t be empty come fall.
The Academic Advisement Center has planned 16 daylong sessions of the Student Orientation and Academic Registration (SOAR) program for incoming freshman and seven sessions for transfer students.
“We’re going to have another big [freshman] class,” Student Orientation Coordinator Mary Dieterle says. “Our admissions people must be doing something right.”
Orientation attendees spend a day completing basic skills tests, learning about financial aid options and registering for classes among other activities.
While new enrollment numbers remain on the high end, interest in degree programs has fluctuated. “There’s a huge shift in majors,” Dieterle says. “We see more pre-nursing and premed students, whereas two years ago there were more education majors, probably because these fields are more recession proof.”
Difficult economic times yield long lines at the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid following the informational program for parents.
But if you ask any SVSU student working as an orientation leader, it’s still a great day to be a Cardinal. An energetic, Red Pride-infused welcome to college life is what students can expect at orientation, says Mallory Marek, an elementary special education senior.
Marek joins a host of upperclassmen who provide assistance at orientation. The summer job puts orientation leaders in a position to share their experiences with Cardinals-to-be.
“I like being on the front lines,” she says. “I like being the first face new students see, showing my enthusiasm for the University.”
Marek guides incoming freshmen who are eager to see their dorm rooms and register for fall classes.
“For the first time, I tell them to try any schedule they can get and learn from there whether they like morning or night classes,” she says.
Such tips were helpful, says Megan Villani, a May 29 student attendee who hails from Auburn Hills.
Villani will live on campus in the fall and plans to major in biology. Not unlike other freshmen, she is eager to live on her own and has already connected with a roommate on Facebook.
“Of all the colleges, I like the dorm rooms here and the small town feeling,” she says. “I want to try a little bit of everything — sports, Greek life … I’ll fall into some category eventually.”
Villani’s intentions seem to fit Marek’s recommendations.
“Be ready to be a Cardinal,” Marek says. “Wear your Red Pride on Fridays, go out to games and always keep a welcoming personality.”