Dear absurdly cold Hilltop,
New Student Orientation can occasionally get a bad rap: Students sometimes complain about the icebreakers, receiving the same questions from everyone (name, hometown, major, dorm) and the weird amount of blow up contraptions and fake gambling. But as I ride an Amtrak train with regrettably spotty WiFi back to the school, my heart yearns for a bit of orientation.
Many of my friends from home are going back to college early to start rushing sororities or train for a sport, so in my imagination they’re basically frolicking around in flowery fields of eating, socialization and “bonding” (read: games of Never Have I Ever). I, on the other hand, am going directly back to class. Tomorrow I will wake up at 8 a.m. for my 8:50 class (I know that as the semester goes on my wake up time will get later and later, so I might as well start out early). I’m going to have to pay at least minimal attention in class, I may have to start reading and I’ll certainly have to start drinking coffee again. But all I want to do is have fun, play Ninja and stay up late in my common room discussing the intricacies of American dialects and [insert something cool].
Though I now know what a DFMO is, have fully memorized the fight song and somewhat can make my way through the ICC, I still need some direction or at least some time to veg. Or maybe just a group of people cheering for me when I walk back onto campus in this frigid weather.
I understand another NSO would take a lot of time and planning. But it’s just a suggestion, (you’re welcome, Georgetown) and second semester students would enjoy an NSO period, too. As my mother likes to say, “I’m an idea person.” This is one of my ingenious ideas, so take it or leave it, President DeGioia. I think the doom and gloom of post-Christmas/New Years/winter vortex needs a bit of dancing, ice breakers, diversity training and anonymous question sessions.
Please and thank you,
Emma
