James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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The freshman class performs the DNA dance. The 2010 orientation was the first year the dance was performed. photo by {brandon payne] and overseeing the FROGs, FROG discussions, and of course icebreakers. Ever) ' day and every group were different and impacted me in a different way, said Boyd. Sometimes, a student would be leaving for the day and run up to me, show me their schedule, and hug me saying thank you. The small things that happened nearly even ' day impacted me the most. 1787 didn ' t involve as many placements for Boyd, but the days lasted about six hours longer than springboard days. First- vear move in day, the first morning of 1787, Boyd got to watch her FROGs interact with students and families, which ended as her favorite dav of 1787. We had just gone through three intense days of training and everyone was tired but they were so awesome that morning, said Boyd. I would see them carrying a big fridge up the stairs, sweating through their FROG shirt but smiling the whole time. I loved when I would hear a parent telling a FROG or another OPA that they really appreciated Orientation. I couldn ' t stop smiling. Although it took some FROGs time to break out of their comfort zone, Bovd enjoyed watching the positive outcome that resulted from their hard work and dedication. I loved being able to be there and support them throughout the experience, said Bovd The best moment of 1787 for me was when a girl who had previously struggled to bring her group into a good discussion ran up and said that the discussion they had just had was amazing and she was so happy. I was absolutely thrilled for her. Boyd ' s FROGs looked to her for advice and comfort during difficult or challenging times, including times where first years just didn ' t seem to cooperate with their FROGs. Sally was my OPA and 1 had a lot of first years that were males and at times could be uncooperative, said senior FROG Eileen Proto. I came to Sally for advice and she gave me pointers with how to deal with the situations. She also gave me feedback along with the confidence to handle the group when times got hard. A summer full of training, heat, late nights, early mornings, and D-hiz evervdav proved challenging at times for Boyd, however, on a brighter note, Boyd and her fellow OPAs impacted FROGs, first-vears, transfers, and families in ways they will never forget.] } Features}

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events helped freshmen get acclimated to the university LU LJ On the way to an Orientation event freshmen get to know each other. FROGs were in charge of making sure freshmen made it to the events. photo by {kristin mcgregor} Orientation Peer Adviser (OPA) by britni geer {writer} ampler Hall, Wamp, or The Estate, as referred to by the Orientation Team (O-Team), was home to Sallv Bovd, an Orientation Peer Adviser (OPA), throughout Summer Springboard. With only about a month at home, orientation quickly consumed all of Boyd ' s summer. With eight days of First-year Springboard training and four days of Transfer Springboard training, Bovd endured early mornings, late nights, and D-hall meals, but had the experience of a lifetime. When 1 was a 2k9 FROG (First veaR Orientation Guide), I was supervised, trained and inspired bv niv two OPAs, said Boyd. I understood what Orientation was really all about and 1 wanted to continue to contribute to it, but the application process was stressful, and 1 had Left my individual interview in tears. With only 28 spots to fill, the application process to become an OPA proved challenging for Bovd. A paper application, a group interview and an individual interview left main candidates nervous. During her individual interview, Boyd had a cold and stumbled over her words while trying to stifle her coughs. Much to her surprise, Bovd received a phone call during finals week last December that changed her outlook. Kelly Rirenbark, the Coordinator of Student Staff, said ' Hello Sally. We thank you for applying for the OPA position, and it was really great getting to know vou through the process, but. . .we ' d love for you to be a part of our 2010 team, ' said Boyd. I screamed in her ear that, yes, I wanted the position. I was completely shocked that I had still gotten the job. With a go time of usually 6 a.m., Bovd and her fellow OPAs had morning routines of playing music and dancing around before heading to D-hall or D-hiz , as they called it, for breakfast. Early mornings tired Bovd, especially during 1787 Orientation, where events would last until 1 a.m., with a cleanup crew following the event. I was exhausted, I ' ve never pushed my body so tar on so little sleep, said Boyd. Some mornings I would wake up and go to campus but not be actually awake and aware until breakfast. We played music in the morning to wake us up and after breakfast during Springboard we would sing the National Anthem. Summer springboard consisted of checking in students, waving to cars, directing traffic, discussions with students, sessions about general education and lunch and dinner at D-hiz. 17S7 included directing students to meetings, leading 26 {Orientation

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{ } Freshman DNA Dance allison lagonigro {writer] -ummer before moving to the university and beginning 1787 Orientation, hrsMear students are required to complete a summer reading. The Class of 2014 read The DNA Age, a series of articles written bv Amy Harmon. The articles, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for expository writing, dealt with issues of identity, birthright, ethics and historv. These readings were used during 1787 Orientation as students took part in small lacultyTed group discussions and created the framework for the DNA Dance. Each orientation reading selection is tvpicallv used for two years, making the summer of 2010 the second war for The DNA Age. When planning the orientation events, however, the reading was approached differendy. It was reallv a unique and a once in a lifetime opportunity for the incoming dass, said Orientation Director, Tisha McCoy-Ntiamoah. For first vear students that came in diis vear, this will be a defining moment for them as the} ' walk around campus war after vear and thev are still wearing these T-shirts. Thev ' ll be able to look around campus and know who ' s in their class because only the students in their class have that T-shirt. This new addition to the orientation program combined students ' ideas and reactions to the summer reading with dance elements. The dance was developed in the middle of the summer bv OPAs and members of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. The OPAs worked hard to not only make the dance fun, but also easv to do for all the first-vears. Getting everyone to participate was difficult, just because thev were divided into groups based on shirt color, said sophomore OPA Paula Garavel. Once they got it, it was reallv cool to see them cooperate and do it with you. Before the event, the FROGs taught the moves to their first-years, preparing them for the dance. During the dance, students created a DNA strand that spaned the length of the Quad, creating a representation of what thev had been reading and discussing. The DNA Dance was fun because it was finally a chance to be together with all the other first-year students, said freshman Emilv Northup. Although the likelihood of another DNA Dance is slim, the Orientation office is committed to making orientation as valuable to new- freshmen as possible. It was important because it opened me up to meet new people, which is a huge deal during orientation, said freshman Kolbie Owens. } FROGs and Freshmen throw their hands up in the air during the DNA dance. The dance took place on the quad stretching from Wilson Hall to South Main Street. photo by {brandon payne) 2s{ Orientation