Campus welcomes new freshmen

The library staff has began rearranging the tables in the Main Library lobby. The Division of Recreational Sports has hired a team of students to coordinate events at the Student Recreational Sports Center. The staff at the Office of Orientation Programs was working feverishly Friday afternoon. \nIU has witnessed a flurry of activity in recent days as the sluggishness of summer seems to have given way to the enthusiasm for freshman orientation, which will began today and last until July 20.\n"We are expecting approximately 1,400 students and 2,000 parents this week," said Trevor Pittman, who works in the admissions office.\nAndy Tellas, manager of Residential Parking Services, said he also has his hands full this week. \n"It is going to be a very hectic two days, but we are trying to accommodate parents as much as possible," he said. \nTellas said parking would be available in the areas near the Wright Quad and in the 10th Street parking lot.\nIncoming freshmen will stay in Wright Quad during orientation while their parents will live in Willkie Quad. IU will take care of the students and their families' meals.\n"We have assigned a breakfast and dinner schedule to the participants who will mainly dine at the Wright Food Court," Pittman said.\nPittman has also been involved in organizing a program for parents. \n"The parents program will include a meeting with a representative from the Bursar's office, a conference with professors on the IU experience and group advising sessions with University Division and other school advisers," he said.\nAn information resource center will be set up in the lobby of the Main Library. Every year a select group of campus organizations is invited to participate. \nPittman said the library will include booths set up by the IU Police Department, the IU Parents Association, the Office of Overseas Study, along with about 20 other campus organizations.\nThe Division of Recreational Sports has been actively involved with the program for three years and is organizing several events and tours this year.\nChris Geary, director of programming and research at the Division of Recreational Sports, said SRSC plans to educate and entertain parents during orientation.\n"We provide parents with information so that they can become a resource for their children," Geary said. "We also inform them of employment opportunities that are available.\n"The SRSC also functions as a social place where parents can hang out and maybe play a game of squash in the evening," he said.\nThe Division of Recreational Sports will also hold evening programs in the second half of the orientation session.\n"We will provide tours and organize games and activities," Geary said. "Our basic aim is to get students acquainted with the SRSC since the building can look quite intimidating from outside. We try to make students more comfortable and help them explore new interests."\nRosie Pizzo, director of communications of the Office of Overseas Study, is also excited about her booth at the resource center.\n"This is an excellent time to be exposed to such a tremendous number of students," she said. "We will have information about our programs and we hope the students think about how to incorporate it in their plan before they graduate."\n-- Contact staff writer Sheeba Madan at smadan@indiana.edu.