Freshman Orientation: The Overall Experience
By:
Jaclyn Clark & Jen Peterson
Starting college can be daunting for not only the students, but the parents as well. For some, this may be their first time away from home; the parents may have an empty nest and the students will finally be on their own. Bradley University tries to help with the transition by making their orientation process top notch.
Along with having a very unique program that helps in many ways to transition the students, directors of the program as well as the Student Aides work alongside many different departments within the university. Director of Orientation and Advisement, David Trillizio, works closely overseeing that everything runs smoothly for the orientation process. “The president’s office on down to the food service, they support this program very much so, and you don’t get that at a lot of other schools,” states Trillizio. The support of the University and all the departments that feed into it are a large part of what makes the program successful. “Many other schools look down on the student affairs initiative and ‘oh that’s just the fun area where they do icebreakers all the time and go on field trips with all of them’ and that’s not quite what it is, that’s not what it is at all,” Trillizio continues. With Bradley being a smaller school, it allows all of its staff to work together and support each other in areas where bigger schools may not.
Director of Orientation and Advisement, David Trillizio gets in the zone and tries to calm his stress while preparing for the upcoming orientation sessions.
The support of the school is just the beginning; a lot of preparation goes into the orientation program. During the summer, the school hosts 12 orientation sessions, each consisting of about 80 to 90 students. The orientation sessions are two and a half days long where the students go through a variety of lectures on safety and academics and then more fun things like ice breakers and video challenges. Student Aides do the majority of the planning for the entire summer including planning ice breakers, videos shown during orientation, social activities, lectures for the parents, managing the technology such as Twitter and Instagram and even planning out the t-shirts the Student Aides will wear throughout the sessions. “Previous Student Aides have left here and they go into a Student Affairs program or they go on to Graduate School and they are surprised that their opinion doesn’t matter as much. We really do place
Kacey Miller and Eric Bedwell review footage taken on the scene.
probably a little too much emphasis on what you all believe what you want and what have you but I do feel that [the Student Aides] are an important part of the process,” Trillizio comments. In a sense, the Student Aides run the show and because of that, they need to be prepared for everything that may come their way.
There may be a lot that goes into planning and executing orientation, however the reason behind why Bradley University does orientation should not be lost in the mix; the students. Every year Bradley accepts new students to be a part of everything that makes up the University. Dave Jensen is in his second year as a Student Aide. “It’s just really a position that can make myself be a resource,” Jensen says. “I can help just a countless number of students.” Student Aides and numerous faculty and staff dedicate their summers to the incoming students. They want to make sure that the students coming in are welcomed with open arms into the Bradley family. In some cases, watching over the students can be difficult. For Jensen it’s, “getting to know those students and watching them throughout the year and when they hit a rough spot or when something happens, that’s a hard part but on the flip side of that, it’s a huge milestone when you can see them reaching the great potential that you set them up for.”
Student Aides Mitch Kuldell, Jaclyn Clark, and Abbie Brunstad shoot a scene for a video they will use during the opening ceremonies of Orientation.
Though the summers may be dedicated to introducing students into the world of higher education, the Student Aides come away from the experience changed as well. In working together all summer, the Student Aides create a family. Not only that, but by becoming a part of this amazing opportunity, they also open doors for many others down the road. Another second year Student Aide and also coordinator, Erin Julius, did a complete 360 from what she was expecting when she came to Bradley. “My whole first semester of college I didn’t really do anything, I just kind of was like going through the motions of being a student and when I applied for Student Aide I kind of took on a larger role on campus and it really influenced my overall experience here at Bradley,” says Julius. Most students go through the orientation process and then continue on with their lives in college. For the select few who decide to go back and become a
Media member Kacey Miller and Coordinator Erin Julius oversee the filming for a video used during the opening ceremonies.
part of what makes orientation what it is, they realize how much being a Student Aide really helps you grow as a person. As stated before, Julius wasn’t really involved on campus when she first came to college, but since joining the Student Aides, she now holds many different positions in organizations all across campus. “It has honestly opened a lot of doors for me that I couldn’t imagine ever being a part of if it wasn’t for being a Student Aide.” All the preparation goes a long way when thinking about how many people are affected. Not only do the students get an introduction of the University, but multiple departments, faculty and most of all the Student Aides get to experience the bond and family that comes from being a part of such a great opportunity.
Eric Bedwell, Abbie Brunstad, and Kacey Miller prepare the scene for the video.