Goal of Orientation to Make Students' Mission Possible
Mission Possible. That is the
theme of Orientation 2002, which runs from Saturday, Aug. 17, through
Sunday, Aug. 25. The goal is to prepare new students for college life
and to make the transition from high school to college easier.
Bonnie Gorman, director of first year programs, and her staff of “agents”
are busy preparing for the 1,200-plus students expected to participate
in orientation this year. The executive staff consists of five students,
each with two years of orientation experience. Danielle Jones, a junior
from Green Bay, Wis., is the head orientation team leader; Milan Lathia,
a junior from Calcutta, India, is the administration and computing coordinator;
Susie Kattelus, a senior from Dallas, is the publications and publicity
coordinator; Jen Bzura, a junior from Wyandotte, is the recruiting and
training coordinator; and Howard Parish, a senior from Wyandotte, is the
logistics and operations coordinator. There are also 60 “special
agents” who will serve as orientation team leaders.
Coming up with and
agreeing on a theme was not an easy task. “Decision making is much
more difficult with five people instead of two,” said Susie. “We
talked about everything from space to cowboys to racecars before we finally
decided on the espionage theme.”
There are more than
enough activities scheduled to keep the new students busy during orientation
week. Some of the highlights include traditional events such as “The
Lookout Cookout: Family Picnic” will take place on Sunday, Aug.
18 from 4 to 6 p.m. MTU faculty and staff will be invited. During “Vegas
Night” the students can take a chance at the tables and socialize.
The students can enjoy a 500-foot banana split on the sidewalk in front
of Walker on Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 8 to 9 p.m. Lastly, everyone is
invited to the “Spy Class Entertainment” talent show which
will take place from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom on Thursday,
Aug. 22. The show gives the teams a chance to show off their talent. The
emcee for the evening will be Steve Bruner, a comedian who has been featured
on Showtime’s Comedy Club Network and ABC.
For more information you can check out the Orientation 2002 Web site
at http://www.orientation.mtu.edu
or call 487-2212.
Last
year they received national recognition for their creative use of theme.
Another award would be a feather in the cap of the orientation staff.
Other
programs include “I Spy . . . Living & Learning in the
Tech Community.” The program will feature a variety of student speakers--international,
African American, gay, male and female--and is designed to help students
understand more about the diverse life at MTU. Other programs planned
are “Discover Tech Athletics” and “Discover Music, Art
and Theater”, and “Beware of Covert Operations,” an
alcohol and date rape awareness program.
