Published: July 14, 2008 10:25 am            

Union appeals to Generation Y

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

The YouTube generation. Generation Y. The information generation. Whatever you call them, the generation entering college in 2008 is hard to impress.

Having spent their entire lives in a world of instant knowledge, entertainment and gratification, sitting through a boring orientation session can be a college deal-breaker.

Union College in Barbourville knows this, and is doing something about it.

“Think about a birthday party. When I was young all you needed was a cake and pin the tail on the donkey and you had a good party. But now you have to have a ‘Sweet 16’ party. This generation really wants value in their experiences,” Dean of Enrollment Management Jerry Jackson said.

To add new life to the sometimes mundane but necessary experience of first-year orientation, Jackson and the Union staff turned to their own students.

Union has a group of student leaders called the Student Ambassadors, who play a key role in planning the orientation program for incoming freshmen.

Each year the group comes up with a theme — usually a pop culture reference the 18-25 age group can relate to. Last year’s theme was a play on the 1980s movie “Back to the Future.” This year’s theme, “Making it to the Next Level,” uses another 1980s motif — the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

“We chose the theme because it’s something that everyone in our age group remembers doing — playing old school Nintendo,” Student Ambassador Chevelle Jones said.

Jones got involved with the Ambassador group because of her own freshman experience.

“When I first came here, I remember how the people at orientation made me feel at home. And I really love this school, that’s why I’m an ambassador, I want to do the same thing,” Jones said.

Jones isn’t the only Ambassador who fondly remembers her first days at Union. Junior and Student Ambassador Brandy Ledger applied to 10 different schools, eventually choosing Union. But it wasn’t until after orientation that she realized she’d made the right choice.

“I guess I’ve always been a shy person. I was nervous. But orientation made me feel like I was at home,” Ledger said.

To create that sense of home at orientation, Student Ambassadors created a program filled with interactive activities. Students start the day with “icebreaker” games to get future freshmen, who are mostly strangers, interacting with each other.

Incoming students also get to watch a series of “Super Mario Brothers” themed YouTube videos about two Union students who make their way through the “Nintendo Universe” and back to the place they “really want to be,” Union.

Even with the improved program, students still have to face registration for classes and learn about the ins and outs of campus — which isn’t always as exciting as icebreakers or YouTube videos.

“We are moving past the lectures at orientation, where the speaker says ‘look to the left and to the right, these are people who could drop out’ sort of thing. We make sure we get the nuts and bolts in the presentations, but we hope to make it a fun-filled day, too,” Dean Jackson said.

In between registering for classes and learning about campus, Abby Sears, an incoming first-year, played the “game of life.”

“I’m kind of nervous,” Sears said.

“I’m ready for the school year to start,” Jessica Bacher, a junior, said as she chatted with Sears.

The two talked about Sears’ hometown, London Ky., and about how much Sears was going to like Union before it was time to move to the next station in the “game of life.”

At each station, incoming students are asked a question by a Union upperclassman, like Bacher, about the decisions they will have to make on campus — “You have a paper due tomorrow and you’ve been missing class, do you: stay up all night, find an essay online...”

The “correct” answer is awarded with a certain number of points. The questions are often humorous and it’s clear the game isn’t about points but connecting with upperclassmen, sharing fears, and taking another step in creating that sense of home.

Union’s public relations director Brenna Wallhausser said having a strong support system in the first years of college keeps students from transferring to other schools —which is not only good for the school’s enrollment numbers, but important for the students themselves.

“It’s now the trend that most people with degrees attend multiple schools before they get their diplomas. We want students to fit in at Union and give them the support they need. Not only does Union benefit if they stay here, but we’re thinking of the students, too,” Wallhausser said. “If you switch schools, often times credits don’t transition smoothly.”

The college support system, and orientation in turn, doesn’t stop with the students. Parents also have an important role in Union’s orientation. While their children participate in icebreakers and seminars, parents get to tour Barbourville, learn a bit about its history, and get a chance most other school’s don’t offer — meeting the school’s president.

“I personally like to meet the students and parents... I get to follow their stories and help them grow, it’s just really helpful to know them personally,” Ed De Rosset, Union’s president, said.

De Rosset invites the parents into his home on campus for refreshments and conversation after the parents tour Barbourville.

Saturday wasn’t Celia Blaiser’s first Union orientation. Her oldest daughter Laila graduated this year and has stuck around to work at the school, while her younger daughter is just starting her college journey.

“A lot has changed. When Laila was here it was very simple and friendly. Things have gotten much more creative and active this time around,” Blaiser said. “And at how many schools do you get to meet the president at his house?”

The orientation session on Saturday was Union’s third. This year there will be four sessions total, the last one coming later this month. Each session has about 65 incoming students in it, which means come Aug. 21, Union’s first day of school, Union will have one of its biggest freshman classes ever. Every freshman takes a first-year seminar class which is made up of first-years and one upperclassman mentor. The mentor will take the first-years on various trips in the opening weeks of school — such as caving and canoeing.

Michael Rowan from Louisville is an incoming Union student who, before choosing Union, visited about nine schools in the region. Thanks in part to orientation, he likes what he sees so far.

“I like the orientation, it really tries to get everyone involved, and it’s creative. I’m excited,” Rowan said.

        

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