College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

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Most freshmen think orientation is too structured. sidered it amusing, there was a general disatisfaction. As noted by Sue Lovegren, lt was not effective in letting the student body really know what the honor council was all about. Most were opposed to the Student Development Activity termed the Sensitivity Session. Freshmen were divided into pairs and asked each other questions concerning their families, in- terests and values. The purpose of the session was to provide new students with an opportunity to get to know at least one an- other well within the first week. Despite a tight schedule, most new stu- dents attend the Palace gardens reception. Numerous trips are required before car is completely unloaded. The recurring criticism was that the questions asked were ridi- culous, too personal and often embarrasing. Orientation week was busyg it seemed as if every hour was scheduled and freshmen wondered when some free time would ar- rive. However, as stated by O.A. Karen Yanity: Although it seemed really structured to freshmen,there is a lot that has to go on, such as academic ad- vising andthe honor council presentation . . . new stu- dents just don't realize how important these are. ORIENTATION 13

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With hectic orientation, frosh glimpse at next four years. You would think that with 1,206 new students arriv- ing at William and Mary at one time, with one week to learn their way around campus, re- gister for classes, buy books, learn college policies and with one week to unpack, settle in and meet people, chaos would be the likely result. l-lowever, the orientation committee showed that through careful organiza- tion and with cooperation from the rest of the college com- munity, a successful freshman and transfer student orientation was possible. Although plans for orienta- tion week started in March of the previous year, for fresh- men it began with a summer let- ter from their orientation aides. Countless form letters had been arriving from the time of acceptance, but this was the first personal contact the freshman had with the college. The letters varied, however most emphasized the necessity of packing trashcans, fans, bikes, umbrellas and waterproof shoes. Next came moving in. Con- fusion began before parking the car because the signs on the dorms were obscurely placed. f' 1 ' ,, I- ' at -. itteksf .MAX Q ..i1f ..,i.l 12 ORIENTATION Could new students really have been expected to know their way around campus? But a tour was in order and after taking a few of these the right dorm was found. Mothers, fathers, bro- thers and sisters made countless trips from the car to the dorm until the car was emptied. With the temperature reaching 95 degrees, freshmen were al- ready feeling a homesickness for their air conditioned rooms. Suitcases were unpacked just to be taken home again by mom and dad. Lamps, bikes, stereos and curtains were put in their proper places and a day of introductions, tours and welcomings began. Parents stayed long enough to listen to President Graves explain the competitive life at William and Mary and warn them that their sons or daughters might bring home a few more C's than ex- pected. Soon, goodbyes were exchanged and families departed. Little did parents realize the validity of President Graves statements! For the next week, new stu- dents had little free time. ln- terest night was held in William and Mary Hall where academic In order to obtain their keys and card keys, freshmen men wait patiently in line in Dupont lobby. department members were avail- able to answer questions about course offerings and concentra- tions. Colonial Williamsburg hosted a reception in the Gover- ner's Palace gardens and Presi- dent Graves welcomed new stu- dents at a reception at his house. Members of most campu organizations were available at Activities Night to let fresh- ment know that they were most S welcomed - and especially en- couraged - to take part in extracurricular activities. An honor council presenta- tion was given so new students would fully understand the honor code. Although most con-

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E IR' :l.Ti1..iTIR'.i1T TIL Even with preregistration, students often had to frghttheir way into required classes. 'lt appeared that regard- ' less of what was done with the registration system, stu- dents would always refer to it as a nightmare. The years prior to 1975 were marked by the arena style, meaning mass, registration in William and Mary Hall. This included waiting in line for what seemed to be hours, find- ing classes were closed when one finally reached the appropriate table, rearranging class sched- ules, begging professors, cry- ing and whatever else one could dream up to win a space in a re- quired class. lt wasn't much fun but did have one advantage - it was over in one day. Then the college implement- ed a new preregistration scheme that was found to be adequate at other colleges and universities. This system won immediate popu- larity. Every student received a registration packet from the registrar's office, filled out the appropriate cards, returned them to the registrar and waited for their class schedule. However, if a student was bumped from a class, this also meant finding other classes, waiting in lines and begging professors. Which was the best system? Preregistration meant much more work for the registrar's office and a smaller burden on the faculty than did the arena style. Preregistration was also fairer. Each department was sent a list of how many students requested Long lines at freshman registration typify the arena system of registering students. a particular course broken down by class and major. The depart- ment then decided how man to y en- role. No names were involved at all. However addldrops were high with the new system. After three days of addldrop second semester, 2045 students incurred 6158 trans- actions. By the end of the week, an additional 2000 were made in- volving QO9 students. Director of Registration, Charles Tooma- jian, commented that These figures made one realize how easy it was to get a student's record messed up. One reason for the addfclrops could have been that preregistration took place shortly after midterms. During the long wait between then and the next semester, in- terests often changed. Perhaps if registration had been later in the semester, the problem would have been somewhat allev- lated. Because there was no way of knowing exactly how many students did not get into particular classes with the arena system, a comparison was difficult. How- ever, the registrar's office felt that over half of the students received the exact schedule of classes they requested, which was an excellent average consider- ing the number enrolled in the college. First semester freshmen were the only students who did not preregister. Several alter- natives were suggested to in- clude them into the new system. However, most were not possible. Freshmen could not preregister in the summer through the mail because the faculty required them to meet with an advisor l 14 REGISTRATION