The school year has started once more, and for once -- for the first time since my freshman year, in fact -- I am on campus to experience it! I spent last fall at the Universidad de Monterrey in Mexico, and I studied in London the fall before that. I've spent three Augusts in a row as a new student somewhere, wandering on a new campus in a new city, so it feels incredible to start off a school year somewhere where I understand how everything works.
The best part is, I get to help the new freshmen feel confident, too. I'm an Orientation leader, so I've spent every waking moment of the past two days trying to explain the nuances of Hendrix life to them. I've answered everything from "How late does the library stay open?" to "What is the College's alcohol policy?" to "Is it OK to swim in the fountain?" After helping carry dozens of boxes into their dorm rooms on move-in day, I've helped the new students pick their classes and learn how to open their mailboxes.
There are 82 other Orientation leaders (and Peer leaders, our "bosses") who are just as thrilled as I am to welcome this new class to Hendrix. We've been running around for days now, trying to build excitement within the new students. Our efforts are paying off it seems, because I keep hearing the freshmen say, "This feels just like summer camp!", which is exactly how I felt as a freshman. There's no time for homesickness or stressing, because everyone's too busy having fun!
The culmination of on-campus Orientation is PlayFair, an amaaaazing, enormous get-to-know you game that the new students play every year. The students assemble on the turf field behind the Wellness and Athletics Center and listen to directions from a caller with a microphone. Last night she directed students to get into groups of two, three, four, twelve, and larger, based on factors such as birth month or color of clothing. The objective is for students to meet scores of people that they otherwise might not run into in class or on an athletic team. Although few remember each others' names the next day, the face recognition is enough to start a conversation. It moves quickly from "Hey, didn't we have to dance back-to-back together last night?" to "Do you want to come to lunch with my roommate and me at noon?"
A highlight of PlayFair is the "I Want a Standing Ovation" game, where each and every student is given the option to stand up and scream, "I want a standing ovation!" and actually receive one. The people around the ovation-receiver pick him or her up on their shoulders, so s/he can see the cheering crowd. It's a huge confidence booster, and one which I was far too shy to ask for my freshman year. Since last night was my final opportunity to ask for a standing ovation, I took it. My friend Cache Carter and some of the new students hoisted me up, and I could see dozens of people waving and cheering and clapping.
The cheers fit the giddy mood of my personal life the past two days. Aside from the dual joys of welcoming new students and getting prepared for my own classes, I was featured in a
New York Times story about Hendrix yesterday! I got interviewed a week and a half ago by Jacques Steinberg, and I've been waiting semi-patiently since then to see the story in print. (Between the hectic schedule of Orientatin and the difficulty of finding the
New York Times at Arkansas retailers, I haven't actually seen the print version yet. But the online version reached #2 on the NYT most-emailed list yesterday!) I've gotten dozens of Facebook comments and wall posts about it, many from friends I haven't seen since college. The standing ovation was the icing on the proverbial cake.
After all the hectic energy of last night, I came home to the Spanish house and spoke en español until I could no longer form coherent sentences (about 30 minutes). Then I passed out in my bed. Today's plans include packing for my Orientation trip (the real climax of Orientation), which begins tomorrow afternoon. Three other Hendrix students, a staff member, and I are leading a group of 20 students around Memphis for three days, and hoping that they bond. It's just another activity to get students out of their comfort zones and into new friendships.