University of Wisconsin Eau Claire - Periscope Yearbook (Eau Claire, WI)

Page 19 text:

WELCOME TO EAUCLAIRIFICATION 1981 Eauclairification introduces IJWEC by David Grist This summer approximately 2,250 students passed through Davies Center to get their first taste of UW-Eau Claire and to complete the orientation process. 1,700 parents, an increase of 200 more than last year, also attended the sessions. Eauclairification is a summer orientation session geared to introduce students to the services and physical elements of the campus and to make them aware of their academic expectations. Mark Olsen, orientation coordinator, said the goal of the program is not only to introduce the students to the campus, but to also introduce the parents to the campus. There are 15 two-day sessions from mid-June through the end of July. Although some find it difficult to get away for two or three days in the summer, results of surveys show that most freshmen and parents consider Eauclairification a worthwhile program. This year, 2,500 completed evaluations were received — a good percentage, according to Olsen. The process begins in the morning with an official welcome by Chancellor Emily Hannah, now a tradition at UWEC. The second step is the English placement test, which is required of all incoming freshmen. Another major part of orientation, academic advising, begins on the first day. Students report to rooms for advising from faculty in their chosen major program. Here, students are told about minimum and maximum credits and choices of classes. During the orientation, students also take a required math placement test and may also take foreign language or choral placement tests. Also available to students are tours of the campus grounds and the library. McPhee pool is open for swimming and there is summer theater at the Fine Arts Building. Parents attending the orientation can participate in activities planned especially for them. There is a planetarium show, discussion by administration and faculty, coffee with the chancellor, and candid campus, an informal discussion with the UWEC students of the 22-mcmbcr orientation staff. Olsen said he believes UWEC has a model orientation program — one well known in this area. One reason for this fame may be the significant amount of time the chancellor devotes to the program. Olsen also commended his student staff and the faculty advising staff. The Media Development Center has put together a multimedia presentation which conveys those aspects of UWEC which cannot be explained easily by talking. It's the little things that separate a good program from an outstanding one, Olsen said.

Page 21 text:

Freshman is just a state of mind by Kevin Voit jeff Buell is a freshman who has a perspective few first year students have. Buell, a business major from St. Paul, has an older brother who attended UWEC while Jeff was in high school. Because he visited his brother in Eau Claire often, Jeff can compare this year's UWEC to that of the past. “The campus has mellowed out; it's not as wild as it used to be, he said. Buell's observation was confirmed by another freshman, Valerie Krueger. Krueger, a journalism major from Tigerton, Wis., who lives in Towers, said partying isn't the main concern in college. “I expected a super social life and I came here, and, well, the school work is the important part. Parties are only a fifth of it, she said. Despite Buell's and Krueger's disappointments, they agree with other freshmen that UWEC is a great place to be. “I love the campus, said Cathy Piette, a communicative disorders major from Racine who lives in Oak Ridge Hall. “It's very friendly, especially in the beginning and during orientation, she said. I've attended private schools all my life — this is a whole new world for me. Dan Kiedingcr, an MIS major from De Pere, Wis., said he looked around at other universities and thought Eau Claire was one of the best. Kie-dinger, who lives in Horan Hall, said he felt the dorm activities were definitely a positive part of dorm life; one disadvantage of being off-campus. Cathy Welch, a business major from Brookfield, now living in Governors Hall, is just one of many freshmen who is attending UWEC partly because of its good reputation. I heard more about Eau Claire, she said. I have some friends who came here and they raved about it, she said. College, regardless of how pleasant the atmosphere may be, can still remain a problem for some freshmen. It's nice not to have someone looking over your shoulder, said Sarah Foutnard, a computer science major from Governors. She mentioned, though, that the classes are more difficult than those she had in her hometown high school in Frederic, Wis. Ruth Stensrud, a special education major from Plymouth, Minn., said school may be a problem for some freshmen if they lack the proper study skills. Piette said some of the difficulties stem from first-year students getting in with the wrong crowd and being pressured to do things they might not ordinarily do. Though difficulties do exist, it seems freshmen are quick to realize that UWEC has something special for its students. Perhaps Krueger summed it up best when she said, “People here care. 19