Advice on leadership, college life offered in first Groups Professional Conference

Saturday the first IU Groups Program Student Support Services Professional Conference wrapped up in Ballantine Hall room 013 as the diverse group of incoming freshmen who attended the program brimmed with excitement despite a full day of activities. \nThe Groups Program, establish in 1968, serves as a way to expose incoming freshmen who are their family's first generation of college students to the concerns and responsibilities of college. The program that consists of classes, lectures and discussions ended with a boom. \nThe conference featured such lessons as professors perspectives on how to succeed at college, leadership and engagement skills, college essentials to deal with time and money and an alumni question and answer session finish to close the day-long event. \nAt times the closing remarks section more closely resembled a pep rally especially at the end when a raffle caused participants to yell in anticipation for IU apparel like T-shirts, hats and an umbrella. \n"It is important to get them into the college mentality and I think we did that," said senior Erien Birdsong. The raffle at the end let them know they succeeded in finishing the program, Birdsong said. \nThe program combined social events and academic workshops. A range of concerns and essential information were discussed to help educate incoming freshmen on what to expect. \nAnother goal of the program was to help the participants build friendships that will extend into the fall. Patrick Fritz an incoming freshman from Carmel, Ind. said he made more than 50 friends throughout the course of the program. He said the program was the "best environment I've been in my whole life." \n"One of the things I've enjoyed the most coming from a protective public in Carmel is the diversity," Fritz said. "There were so many minorities that in fact, we were the minority and that is awesome to me that I can interact with different people." \nElyse Van Hook an incoming freshman from Spencer, Ind. likewise said she learned a great deal from her peers and just from being around the campus. \n"Starting in August all the other 7,000 freshmen will be so lost and we'll know our way around campus," she said. "We'll have a heads up on how IU does classes and we'll be so much more prepared"