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

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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

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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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Freshmen enjoy the DNA dance. 1787 Orientation was packed with different events for the new students, photo by {brandon payne) FROG Move-in Day by Catherine casares {writer} Embarking on freshman year is always an exciting and nerve-racking time. There ' s always the stress of starting new classes and getting lost on campus while at the same time looking forward to meeting new friends and having new experiences. I felt a little anxious about the unknown and just didn ' t reallv know what to expect, said freshman Meredith Cotton. I did random roommate [selection], so I was curious as to how that would go and eager to meet her. I was just so ready to get settled in and start eventhing. Cotton moved into Hillside Hall on Aug. 25, surrounded bv eager hallmates and enthusiastic FROGs. After what seemed like only a few short seconds, her car was unloaded. Someone said [move-in] would take forever, but [the FROGs] got our stuff really fast, said Cotton. After much anticipation, she headed to the top floor to meet her random roommate. Not knowing what to expect, she soon said goodbve to her parents and began her surprisinglv eventful orientation week. It felt a little weird [when mv parents left], but FROG week was so busy that it was hard to even find time to think about missing home, said Cotton. During the week, in addition to all of the mandatorv FROG events, Cotton enjoved spending her nights at the comedv show, the Pep Rally, We Are IMU and Madison at Midnight. Throughout all the Orientation activities, Cotton had the chance to hang out with some of her best friends from high school, who also lived in Hillside Hall. However, Cotton also made new friends in her dorm. [I reallv liked] meeting all the girls on my hall and spending time with them, said Cotton. Looking back on her eventful orientation week. Cotton realized she was really appreciative for all the events that allowed her to meet so manv new people. I [found the events] helpful because I liked being with the girls in my hall, said Cotton. Bv the end of the week I was ready to be done with all the ice breakers and events and get started with a normal routine, but I ' d say it was worth it. At the same time, she was readv to finally explore the unknown — classes. Orientation was memorable, said Cotton. The one word I would use to describe it would be ' enthusiasm. ' Evervone just had so much spirit and seemed so excited about JMU. It made me really excited about coming here. } Features } ss