Big Plan on Campus D


Schools help make the freshman transition to college life as seamless, and safe, as possible


By Haley Behre


o I go out even though I have an essay due tomorrow? Do I have my first taste of beer tonight? Should I take a hit of this joint because my


friends are doing it? Am I making the right decisions? How do I know when I’ve had too much? These are questions the average college student faces daily. The first semester at college is just as, if not


more, crucial than the rest because as a student you must learn to deal with these daily pres- sures right away. It can make or break your col- lege career because this newly found freedom comes with temptation. Ted Winkworth, SUNY Oswego Alcohol and


Other Drug Program Coordinator, says the first semester—especially the first six weeks—is a very sensitive time for a student. “If you have 40 to 50 percent of an incoming class that does not do drugs that number will drop by the sixth week,” says Winkworth. “Something is hap- pening in the first six weeks where students are completely changing how they behave.” Like other colleges and universities, SUNY


Oswego tries to hone in on these sensitive first six weeks to encourage students to follow a “healthier” lifestyle, says Winkworth. Colleges have implemented various programs, ranging from mandatory classes to alcohol-free week- end activities in order to do this. Greg Victory, director of First-Year and


Transfer Programs at Syracuse University, says helping the students transition to college begins before they arrive on campus. According to Victory, SU follows a rigorous checklist to help with the move away from home. First, in May, they receive step-by-step orientation guides for entering college. These packets arrive every two weeks with different checklists and reminders such as orientation dates, deadlines and event invitations. But technology has altered the way this information travels. “We used to send them out by mail and


hoped they read it. But this year we did every- thing by e-mail,” says Victory. “We have regu- lar Facebook and Twitter updates, too.” Once on campus, freshmen are introduced


to “Cuse Welcome,” during which they begin to get acquainted with each other, receive their schedules, and learn about the university and the city. Current students from all different backgrounds share their personal experiences at different meetings.


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“Students have many opportunities to engage


in different ways and learn about Syracuse, the community and themselves and how they fit in that big picture,” says Victory. These programs provide entry points into a support system and puts names to faces for students. It helps them begin to make connections. Susan Ames, director of First-Year and


Transition Programs at Le Moyne College, says having a support system makes a student more confident; they are also more likely to join a club or organization. Le Moyne realizes the first few weeks are critical to academic suc- cess, says Ames, so the college on the East Side of Syracuse set up a program aimed at helping students achieve academic success based on both challenge and support. “It is key that the students know everyone


is welcome,” says Ames. “They will have challenges but they will get support here.” That support is both social and academic. The students can opt to be in a learning community, based on a shared interest or hobby or course of study, which allows students to have an instant connection with a small group. According to Victory, living in a learning community breaks down the first wall. It helps answer the question, “what are you interested in?” SU provides learning communities that are academically focused as well as multi- cultural. Students can also make connections with


their academic advisers, which all freshman should do as soon as possible. To ensure aca- demic success students must learn time manage- ment, how to engage with a professor or other students and rules of academic integrity, says Ames. “We know students come in August and still have the pre-college notions in their head,” she adds. “They need to transition.” Immediate academic success is an integral


part to overall success because students need to develop good studying and time management habits early on, says Victory. At SU, each col- lege conducts its own first year seminar hoping for the same result: helping freshmen transition into healthy academic habits. Le Moyne has a similar program, says


Ames, but it’s more general, dealing with teaching college skills. At the end of the course, the students must take a test and pass with 100 percent.


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