The end of Orientation

Orientation has finally ended. I guess this was inevitable considering the fact that it was prepared very nicely and the length of all of its activities. The warm welcome is still felt on campus as organizations are feeling out the freshmen and professors are going through the easy, introductory part of their courses. Everything is still slow- it hasn't picked up yet. Personally, I am glad that Orientation went as smoothly as it did, however, I am also glad that I can deal with hundreds of problems and tons of books (believe it or not). I did not take pictures everyday rather I took pictures from a particular event. The pictures shown here all come from our Orientation's game night and the festivities for last Saturday. I will talk about each activity that I participated in briefly. The grind of schoolwork is on my mind even though tomorrow is Labor Day.

I will start by being casual. There were many a days where food was thought to be an issue because the dining services did not officially start until the August 27, the first day of classes. However, there was accommodations made by the Director of Orientation, Deb Lamp, and the Orientation Leaders, Meg Flood and Joey Yost, to eat in Smith Hall free of charge. I was thinking in my head, "This is so awesome!" The news gets better- I got free breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about eight days straight. This is obviously a good way to promote Smith Hall's dining services as well as keeping the interest of the consumer at heart. I have a picture of Smith Hall, which is newly renovated for the incoming freshmen, on the right. The area that I took a photo of is the lounge area, created with a urban feel to it. There is a television (which usually has something like MTV or BET on it) and couches to make the lounge area very capacious. I like this area, I can fall asleep on it after a long day of classes.

On Saturday, I had the responsibility of gathering the freshman for my Orientation project of Adventure Activities. At times, monitoring who is here and what group needs to go where can be a tedious and nerve-wrecking job. I know I did the best job I could, utilizing all of the resources and knowledge I had around me. The vans were delivered and the route for hiking at Delaware State Park was established (thanks Forrest for leading the freshman through the wilderness, and to Forrest, Ryan A., and Joey for driving the registered OWU vans). There were some difficulties as I could not establish a good rapport with someone who could Swing Dance, however, I did find a person who knows Salsa like it is her own child and that connection worked out great. I believe that was the biggest group as it is unique and interesting to a lot of people. Paola, if you are reading this, I want to say "Thanks a million!" The Habitat for Humanity project on a house nearby the campus was highly sought after by the freshman; the project was filled by last Wednesday, their first day on campus. I met with several people for advice and the cap of how many to bring to the project. To say the least, I was happy with the results of how the Habitat for Humanity project went down. I brought water to the freshmen and watched the magic happen. In addition to these projects, I had lined up a running session, which wasn't grueling but good for the body and mind of an individual and knitting, which was a relief builder and relatively popular especially during finals week. I worked with The Babbling Bishops Comedy Troupe and make sure to request the Stuy Smoker for them to perform and interact with the freshmen. I also worked with Ultimate Frisbee to make sure that the rugby field behind Kroger's was available. I like Ultimate and I wanted to participate but I was dealing with some minor issues behind the Student Involvement Desk. Nevertheless, all of the activities were good and a good amount of freshmen got to experience some of the awesome activities at OWU. I was so happy everything went without a hitch.


While I was waiting for the groups to take off to their destinations, I saw members of CLEAR, the student group for alcohol awareness chalking up the Jaywalk with information pertaining to the Volleyball game. Unfortunately for them, the rain during that time was fast and furious so they had to cancel it. Fortunately for me, I didn't sign up to be a part of that; I signed up to be a part of the Ice Cream Social, sponsored by the Student Honors Board. The invite was for everyone and the setting was informal. I took some pictures- the view of the building from Gray Chapel is very good. The Honors Center is dedicated to two professors who jump-started the program. The building looks like our average one sitting next to the Art Studio. Once you get in the Honors Center becomes a different story. I am hoping that I will stop in there a lot more this year.

The last thing I took pictures of for Orientation was the Game Night. The night started with a Scavenger Night around campus. I did not participate but from the sweat and excitement I can see on the Orientation Leaders and their freshmen's faces, I was excited to see what would happen next. Eventually, everyone let their hair down and had fun. There were DJ's (not a professional, just Jerome Bucceri and Chris Drover working the angle- cheaper for the university and a lot more interactive). There was photo keychains, frisbee making, and Taboo playing. There was also a certain "Right foot yellow, left hand green" mentality- see picture to believe it. By the way, this is Orientation Team Leader, Joey Yost, working the floor. Everyone grew and bonded from the experience, freshmen and upperclassmen alike. I like the concept of game night. It is not whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game.

Wow. Orientation is over and the first week of classes is as well. I guess it is time to be on the everyday grind. It is time to see who will step up to the occasion or who will fall flat to the earth. We will find out shortly; time at OWU goes by quickly if you are involved. I have to go now- my Applied Stats book is screaming my name!



Living OWU style,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10