Orientation makes changes following campus concerns

The first day of new student orientation started Tuesday with a tornado warning, severe thunderstorms and a fractured schedule.

“We were in the (Wright Quad) food court when there was an announcement that there was a tornado warning,” said a member of the Heine family as they were hurrying to their car after the tornado warning had expired. “There were a lot of people in not very much space, but the student leaders checked to see if everyone had water and were okay. They did a very good job.”

The Heines were not the only family that decided to miss the IU Alumni Association open house after the tornado warning. Parents were in a hurry, moving to their cars before the next storm front moved over campus.

However, before the weather interfered with families’ dinner, the students and parents went about the schedule as planned.

“It’s a well-paced day,” said Jerry Wolff, a parent attending orientation. “The professor speaking on college experiences and what to expect was good.”   

Incoming freshman Stephen Lederer agreed with Wolff.

“The different speakers were really good and helpful,” he said.

Melanie Payne, director of Summer Orientation and associate director of First Year Experience Programs, said she designed the orientation program so that each event of the day would be a learning experience.

“They are learning about Herman B Wells, the buses, roommates and the University,” Payne said.

To provide all of these learning opportunities for the new students, Payne and her staff have been working on the program for months.

“We have to think ahead,” Payne said. “We know that we need to get 7,000 students and 12,000 family members through the program.”

Not only are there thousands of people going through the program, but there is a varietyof information that has to be communicated to everyone attending.

“Orientation has the philosophical and practical side of being a student at IU,” Payne said.

A part of that practical side is how the program is tailored to the latest issues at IU, she said.

“We change our program every year based on the trends on campus,” Payne said.
Some of those trends are in light of harm that has come to students during previous years.

This year, Payne said the program includes discussions concerning pedestrian safety, sexual assault and plagiarism.

Given the nature of these topics, Payne said, they can be difficult to discuss.
So instead of talking about them, students enjoy a musical about alcohol and its effects on decisionmaking. There are also songs that deal with receiving consent before engaging in sexual activity.

Nick Johnson, an incoming freshman from Carmel, Ind., said he liked the way in which the sometimes-awkward conversations were handled.

“It was really funny,” he said.

However, only Johnson and the rest of Group A saw the musical. Because of the storm, Group B was forced to take cover during its scheduled show.