University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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W aiting for her group, International Orientation Leader Susan Brock, a senior, and a new student chat with Orientation Leader Michael Berryman before a session. [Photo by Susan Rinehart] dentation Leader Allison Walker hands a new student his check-in materials on the first day of an Orientation session. Sessions were held throughout the summer to give each student a chance to attend. [Photo by Susan Rinehart] D iligently working, Orientation Leader Chase Harding assists new students through part of registration. New students received many new materials at Orientation. Students were also able to register for classes on the sec¬ ond day of Orientation. [Photo by Susan Rinehart] Orientation 11

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IRST IMPRESSIONS Orientation Leaders try to make life easy for new students. A misty fog lingered in the already- humid early morning air as a steady stream of sleepy students dressed in red- and-white stripes anxiously headed, al¬ beit in no particular hurry, from Gregson Lodge toward the Union. Once the balloons were in place, the Hogs had been called and the greeter with peppermints was ready, smiling faces wel¬ comed the masses with the popular slogan, “We’re glad you’re here!” “I like working with people, and I love going to school at Arkansas,” junior Leslie Lee said. “Be¬ ing an Orientation Leader allowed me to help other people like it here as much as I do.” New Student Orienta¬ tion, a process which, for most people, involved a one- or two-day time commitment, really be¬ gan with the selection of more than 30 student Orientation Leaders, of¬ ten described as hyper, happy and anything but shy, in early spring. In T elling it like it is, Orientation Leader Rebecca Taylor i discusses campus life with her small group. Many Orientation Leaders tried to be as animated as possible in order to keep the new students’ attention. [Photo by Susan Rinehart] Matt Maverick small group meetings, campus tours and their first brush with the Hogcall telephone registration system, Orientation Leaders fielded questions ranging from which pro¬ fessors were tough to the location of the nearest bathroom. “I remember asking lots of questions,” freshman Randall Brumfield said. “Most of them seem petty now, like ‘Is there a dress code when you go to class?’ I wasn’t even sure how to say mV major -- kinesiology. Orien¬ tation definitely helped to answer my questions.” “The best part about be¬ ing an Orientation Leader was meeting new students and being their first contact with the University,” junior Chase Harding said. “I liked helping them make their schedules and watching them pulling out their hair because they weren’t geti ting the classes they wanted. I would tell therM ‘It’s not a big deal. You’re going to be here for awhile.’! Sometimes running witl 1 only their enthusiasm left ' Orientation Leaders faced June, a rigorous training process began, from which emerged a knowledgeable, eager team whose work with thousands of incoming students and their families was just beginning. “The first session was definitely the most memorable, because that’s what we had prepared for,” Lee said. “It finally came, and I was so excited.” Leading the new students through their days (often 18-hours long) with th e knowledge that, somehow, they were mak ing a difference in others’ lives. “I remember sitting in the Leader Loung totally worn out and tired, but knowing th I had to go back out there and smile in thre e minutes,” Harding said. “But, I think it important that Orientation leaves yo knowing there is someone at the Univeq sity who cares about you being here.” 10 Orientation

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12 LL DRESSED UP Men and women jump into Greek life with Rush. Two weeks before classes began, crow ds of well-dressed men and women wandered around campus, going in and out of the Greek houses. While onlookers may have realized that this was all part of Fall Formal Rush, what they didn’t know was that the an¬ ticipation of this week began as early as June or July. Panhellenic and the In¬ terfraternity Council, which organized and gov¬ erned Greek affairs, up¬ dated a Greek-Life Video, held information ses¬ sions and distributed in¬ formation packets to in¬ terested students. Sorority Rush was held August 20-26. This left women with a limited amount of time to deter¬ mine the personality of each house. “I’m from California and knew nothing about the Greek system so Rush week was stressful for me,” freshman Meghan McNulty said. “I felt like I needed more time to make my decision.” D jring Preference Night, each house stressed to the rush- ees how important their house was to them and what their sorority truly meant to them. At each of the parties, the rushees sat in the living rooms of the sorority houses, and the members stood on their knees in front of them to talk to them. [Photo by Adrai White] Blair Luper Others knew in advance what their de¬ cision would be. “My sister was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha when she attended school here,” Carol Poole said. “I had seen first-hand how diverse everyone was and wanted to be a part of it, too.” Fraternity Rush consisted of informal parties held throughout the state during July, and Formal Rush, which was held August 17-21. These summer parties gave rushees and mem¬ bers a chance to really get to know each other in a casual setting. “Guys have a definite advantage when going through Rush because the parties let you see what the members and houses are really like. I don’t think you can deter¬ mine that in just one week,” freshman Justin Delille said. For those undecided men, the official week helped considerably. “It became clear to me that I wanted to pledge Reasons for joining Greek organiza¬ tions included finding a social outlet, meeting people, helping others and be¬ coming involved in college life. “I wanted to find a house with girls who had the same values as me, who were concerned about grades and their phi¬ lanthropy,” freshman Haley Reed said. “I needed a place that felt like home and where I could be myself.” Lambda Chi Alpha. I knew 1 had a com¬ mon interest there, and I could contrib¬ ute and receive the most from that house,” freshman Jacob Ponder said. When all the parties ended, 344 women and 184 men had found a new home away from home. “Even if for some reason all my sororitiy memories fade, Rush is some¬ thing I will never forget,” McNulty said. Rush