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

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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

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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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} Freshmen Firsts by kaleigh somers {writer] Junior Jarvis Mitchum and Sophomore Katherine Wrona agree, that being a First yeaR Orientation Guide (FROG) is a life-changing experience. Their journey began in February with an application process spanning until late April. According to Wrona, after 600 students applied for the FROG position, only 254 were offered the job. Applicants participated in a group interview with 30 people and, if chosen, 30-minute individual follow-up inteniews before final cuts were made. Training began on April 27, 2010. That was a chill day, said Mitchum. That was easy. They spent most of the day going over administrative details and handing out binders full of important information. The real work began just days before the freshmen arrived, meeting with their assigned Orientation Peer Advisors (OPA). With the freshmen assigned to two FROGs and two OPAs assigned to oversee the two FROGs, Wrona said it acted as a network. After freshmen moved into their dorms August 24 and 25, the FROGs ' schedules became busier. Davs started at 7 a.m. and ended around 11 p.m. or midnight. After this week, 1 feel like I could conquer anything, ' ' said Mitchum. I [ .mil Wrona survived a demanding week of 14-hour days, i ig home to plan for the following day ' s activities. Still, downtime seemed to be the hardest part of the day. times the long work days were exhausting. The energy from the fi mid give us the momentum to get through the day, so it made things , ' said Mitchum. Incoming Freshmen learn the J-M-U Dukes cheer at the welcoming ceremony. The ceremony was held in the Convocation to help freshmen get better adjusted to college life. photo by JMU photography services(diane elliott) When we ' re with our first-years, we don ' t even notice that we onl v got three hours of sleep, said Wrona. The two agreed that they fed off the energy of their freshman groups. Neither felt unprepared to handle the week ' s many demands. Wrona felt the training really prepared the FROGs for anything. The training was very thorough, she said. [The}- gave us] examples about types of freshmen we might encounter. She had to learn to adapt to each freshman accordingly, meeting their needs. For her, the goal was to help [the freshmen] love JMU as much as I do. As the week progressed from move-in day to Convocation, Mitchum and Wrona noticed a visible change in their first-years. [They ' re] moving through the awkward [stage], said Wrona. The first day, the) ' were scared to say their name. After a week of intensive interaction, the atmosphere shifted from a question-and- answer session to a conversation. What came as a shock, was the sheer volume of gratitude the freshmen had for their FROGs. It ' s all about the thank-you, said Mitchum. Wrona agreed that coming into a school without understanding simple concepts like the meal plan and punches made the freshmen eager to listen and learn from their FROGs. They ' re more grateful than I thought thev would be, she said. Thev respect authority. Thev want to know your opinions. At the end of the week, Mitchum felt like he had prepared his first-years for the coming years, helping them connect with others nd them. 30 {Orientation