The Class of 2019 has flooded the University of Oregon campus this past month, with the final IntroDUCKtion sessions coming to a close the first week of August.
A few things have changed since the IntroDUCKtion sessions of past, one of them being in response to the recent outbreak of meningitis. Freshman now have the option to receive the vaccine at orientation, and parents are able to discuss campus health with professionals.
IntroDUCKtion is the UO’s orientation program for incoming freshman — 4,071 students are expected to join the university this fall. The orientation sessions are two day events jam packed with tours, seminars, advising appointments and registration sessions.
The Emerald caught up with a few incoming students and orientation representatives (clad in neon green Nike polos) during the July 23-24 session of IntroDUCKtion to see how the events were unfolding.
“It’s crazy how much IntroDUCKtion has changed since I was a freshman, But it’s definitely been for the better,” said Hunter Dotson, an orientation leader and UO junior.
“My favorite part so far has been the ice breakers,” said Olivia Balderas, an incoming freshman.
Daniel Kamin echoed Balderas’ sentiment. “My favorite part about IntroDUCKtion so far has been meeting new people,” said Kamin. “The SOS [student orientation staff] staff is really great this year too, they’ve been amazing,”
Another change to this year’s IntroDUCKtion sessions is the implementation of the new Schedule Builder program. Designed for freshman registration; students select which classes they desire and which times during the week they wish to have free. Schedule Builder then generates dozens of different schedules with these preferences. When a schedule the student likes is selected, the student clicks the option “Send to Shopping Cart” where classes are sent to DuckWeb to be registered automatically.
While Schedule Builder may provide a more streamlined registration experience, is is not without its hiccups, often going offline for long periods of time. Additionally, as freshman almost exclusively use Schedule Builder, they do not learn to navigate DuckWeb on their own, which may be problematic during future registration dates.
Changes aside, while staff and incoming students frequently speak excitedly of orientation, current UO students may recall the stress that often accompanies the overwhelming amount of information supplied throughout the course of the session.
Daisy Ahlstone is a First Year Programs representative and Freshman Interest Group assistant. Ahlstone works in the Registration Room during day two of IntroDUCKtion, assisting freshman with the complications that may arise when using DuckWeb and Schedule Builder.
“Since registration is often one of the last things they do, I feel like by the time students get to the reg room they’re often fairly stressed and have a hard time finding classes. Others have pretty solid plans, and just need a little help with navigation,” said Ahlstone.
But even with its issues, Ahlstone cites the reward of helping students register for college courses for the very first time.
“I really love when a student finds a class they didn’t even know was available to them. When they find something that piques their interest, and they get really excited about it. It’s just awesome,” Ahlstone said.
Follow Shelby Chapman on Twitter @ShelbyEm15.