After a change in the early move-in policy last spring, the University has loosened its restrictions to facilitate events sponsored by pre-orientation groups on campus.

The University had previously tightened its early move-in policy to cut costs and offer a more unifying orientation experience for incoming freshmen. Last year’s policy only allowed student athletes with NCAA requirements, international students with visa limitations and orientation leaders to move in early.

Though the uniform move-in day benefited some, the policy was detrimental to student groups such as Outdoor Emory Organization (OEO), who began their activities before orientation.

“OEO saw a dramatic drop in numbers,” Dean of Students Bridget Guernsey Riordan wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel. “In prior years, up to 250 first-year students participated in OEO trips. In fall 2009, just over 100 students participated.”

In the past, freshmen participating in OEO moved into residence halls the Wednesday before the official Saturday move-in day and left for OEO trips on that Thursday. This year, the trips took place the first weekend of school, with groups leaving on Friday and returning on Sunday.

College junior and OEO President Mary Vess said that this schedule posed problems for students because they were in the middle of the add-drop-swap period, were still making new friends and had homework to do.

According to College sophomore and OEO Orientation Co-director Brent Morel, holding the trips during the first weekend seemed to cause undue stress for students who participated.

This decline in participation prompted the administration to reconsider last spring’s policy change.

“When we evaluated the drop in numbers for the OEO trips, we realized students were missing out on some outstanding experiences,” Riordan explained. “We don’t want these opportunities for community building to be lost.”

Morel said that OEO gives incoming freshmen a chance to make friends and get to know upperclassmen before coming onto campus.

Vess said she believes OEO eases the overwhelming initial arrival because incoming students can meet a people before they are “on the quad with a couple hundred freshmen.”

Riordan wrote that the Division of Campus Life wanted to maintain a unified orientation experience without hindering the valuable community-building offered by many pre-orientation groups.

For other groups such as Multicultural Outreach and Resources at Emory (MORE), a mentoring program connecting upperclassmen with incoming freshmen, the change in early move-in policy resulted in positive adjustments.

Last year, the group moved its pre-orientation mentor training from the beginning of each academic year, as was custom, to spring 2009 instead.

College junior and MORE Mentor Adviser AJ Pascasio said the switch benefited the program by prompting a change that eliminated distractions during mentor training.

“Everybody is part of other organizations, and we don’t want people going off for their other obligations,” Pascasio said, explaining that Orientation Week is a busy time for everybody. “They’re busy with other things. So we [took] that into account, and we decided to put training at the end of the year.”

The only problem this year, Pascasio said, was that freshmen arrived on campus before mentors did. Mentor advisers who lived off campus or who were already on campus for some other reason were able to arrive early last fall.

Pascasio said that while MORE will keep mentor adviser training at the end of the year, freshman mentor advising will take place at the beginning of fall 2010.

Riordan wrote that the policy change lowered the costs incurred by opening residence halls and other facilities early.

“We were able to save costs by not moving in students early, which required staff members to come earlier,” Riordan wrote.

While students can now arrive on campus early, she wrote, they will not be moving into the residence halls until official move-in day.

Vess said that instead of moving into their rooms, students participating in OEO will store luggage in rented pods, something that MORE participants have done in the past. Students may be restricted in the amount of luggage they can bring, Vess said, noting that similar groups at peer universities have typically faced similar constraints.

Vess said that she hopes the numbers of participating students will rise again, adding that she is appreciative of the University’s receptiveness to OEO’s concerns.

“We’re grateful that the [Student Government Association] has helped us, and [Riordan] has been helpful in communication with administration,” Vess said.
“It’s nice to know that they’re listening and that they’re responsive.”

Riordan wrote that the pre-orientation trips by OEO filled a void for the University for many years.

“Now we just want to ensure that the trips do not interfere with the orientation program or moving in,” she wrote. “OEO supports these goals.”

— Contact Alice Chen.