Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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In a hypnotic state, Angel Jennings plays with her imaginary pet. Hypnotist Frederick Winters entertained the audi- ence by putting volunteers into bizarre situtations. phofo by Christine Ahrens Fingers wrapped around the envelope that holds her keys, Amber Brazil checks into Perrin Hall with Kathryn Hamilton. Perrin Hall was changed to an all- freshmen hall, which made move-in day hectic, p ioto by Christine Ahrens Members of the Cat Crew move freshmen into Hudson Hall. The Cat Crew was a vital part of move-in day because of organization and teamwork. photo by Christine Ahrens Advantage Week 11

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Organized Chaos Saturday ' s pool party and sand volleyball broke the monotony of the required infor- mation sessions. Many students felt a bit overloaded with the activities, despite a shorter schedule from previous years. It is really starting to feel like camp, Katie Mosbey said. I ' m not really looking for- v rard to anything else this week. The busy schedule came to a close with Bearcat Rally, Tiger by the Tail and Sunday ' s Northwest New Student Convocation. Advantage Week gave these wide-eyed freshmen a chance to get acquainted with the campus before the first day of classes. Northwest was once again crawling with life, and the new students were officially ready for the trimester to begin. Freshmen volunteers slip into a trance at the command of hypnotist Frederick Winters. The hypnotist was one of the more interactive events that attracted a large crowd. p ioto by Christine Ahrens Transfer Experience by Jill Robinson Student Orientation And Registration, Advantage Week and Freshmen Seminar were programs that tightly held the hands of incoming freshmen to make the transi- tion to college a smooth one. Unfortu- nately, transfer students, who were equally new to the ways of the University, some- times got lost in the chaos. Rebecca Dunn, coordinator SOAR ad- missions, decided this needed to change. Meeting with focus groups made up of transfer students, Dunn received feedback on their experience. The plan was to help them adjust to life at Northwest. The chal- lenge was that these students already knew the college routine, Dunn said. To meet the needs of the individuals, Transfer Information Programs was put into effect. This was the first year it was used, and T.I. Rs offered basic information that transfers realized they needed once the year had already begun. It ' s just an idea of getting more infor- mation out, Dunn said. Transfer students are special because they know how to be a col- lege student so they don ' t think they need any help. I just want them to know a few tips; a litde bit more than they thought they needed. Three, one-hour sessions were given in the fall. Insight on campus activities, career ser- vices and computing services were the focus of the first meeting. The following two weeks, representatives of different offices spoke on topics like student employment, the B. D. Owens Library, the Talent Development Cen- ter and financial assistance. V ile the attendance was low with only eight students at the first session and four at the following two, Dunn remained optimistic about the trial run of the program. She hoped more interest would be shown as adjustments were made. It ' s been low and yet I ' ve had them fill out evaluation sheets and they ' ve all been really appreciative of the information they ' ve re- ceived. Dunn said. I think it was worth it. 10 Student Life

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Chansine by Jaclyn Mauck i -i - M • • - More than 400 students participated in sorority and fraternity rush events that were both marked with change and grounded in tradition. Iraditions Sorority rush kicked off Sept. 5, when both active and rushing women entered a pledge of silence. Members and rushees marked themselves with ribbons, blue and yellow respectively, to eliminate confusion and illegal conversation that could potentially lead to rush infractions. Rush events actually began the following evening when the women attended the sorority tea at the Mary Linn Performing Arts Center. The rushing women met the 40 Rho Chis, who served as their rush counselors, and were formally introduced to the five social sororities. The rest of the week was filled with parties and conversation as the rushees attempted to find their niche in the Northwest Greek system. Rush took a turn and emotions peeked Sept. 11, which was the official bid day. The rushees gathered on the third floor of the J.W. Jones Union and anxiously waited for their Rho Chis, who held envelopes that contained information on who their new sisters would be. I ' m just hoping that it is the right sorority for me, Megan Thole said. As rushees opened their envelopes, reactions to the bids ranged from squeals of excitement to weeping. However, excitement was not confined solely to the rushees. Members from the five sororities had gathered on the lawn on the east side of the Union to welcome their new members and Rho Chi sisters with carnations, T-shirts and other gifts. Overall, bid day, and all of rush, was made easier with the addition of the computer program Computer Rush. This program used statistics from the last three years to determine how many and which rushees would receive invitations back to parties. Then, it was used to match the rushee ' s sorority choices with the sororities ' bids. In years past, matching was done by hand as sorority advisers and Director of Campus Activities Bryan Vanosdale evaluated each rushee individually. The entire process used to take approximately four to five hours. A poker game starts at the Delta Sigma Phi house so Jason Ware joins in. After fraternity rush ended, eight men pledged the fraternity, photo by Sarah Smith As she slips on her new T-shirt, Nicole Weimer takes her place among the Phi Mu new members. Thirty-two women pledged the sorority on bid day. photo by Gara Lacey 12 Student Life