We don’t know many freshmen, and neither do any of the other non-freshman students at UR. Its not because we don’t want to know them, its that we’re geographically prevented from having much contact.
The problems this causes are multiple. Many student groups are having trouble recruiting freshmen and freshmen we’ve talked to don’t really know how to get involved in groups that interest them. The freshmen also don’t spend much time outside of their rooms and floors.
To take down the walls separating freshmen from upperclassmen and to encourage their participation in the university community is not simple.
To help with the problem of club involvement, we propose a college-funded winter activities fair. It should differ from the fall fair by truly being an event. Many groups should perform, groups such as Grassroots should bring speakers and give presentations.
For pulling freshmen into university life in the long run, two steps should be taken. In the fall, Wilson Day should be college-wide. Freshman halls should be paired with a hall in a non-freshman dorm to do their service project as an opportunity to encourage interclass bonding and communication.
In addition, a new program should be instituted. For each Faculty adviser, there should be a student adviser who would serve as a facilitator to answering any questions these students have about life at UR, classes or life in general ? a big brother or sister.
These people would not live on the hall with freshmen, unlike D’Lions, but rather encourage them to visit other dorms and make sure they know about community events. These students should be volunteers. Their purpose would be to be a guide and be a friend, not to create hall programming or to keep order on a hall. These new facilitators could do much for creating bonds between freshmen and the rest of UR and breaking down walls that are beginning to form.
