Undergraduate Orientation leaders added a new program this year, intended to give freshmen the chance to discuss what they had learned over orientation week.
But some people involved in the program found it created uncomfortable situations for first−year students when it came to discussing personal issues.
ROOTs, which stands for Reflecting on Orientation at Tufts, was held on Sept. 3 and was mandatory for the Class of 2014. Designed to give first−years an opportunity to link their personal experiences with the information presented during orientation, the program's agenda garnered criticism for probing into what many believed to be overly personal details.
The program, led by student orientation leaders and resident assistants, was the brainchild of Steph Gauchel and Linell Yugawa, the directors of the Women's Center and the Asian American Center, respectively, according to Orientation Coordinator Kate Carpenito.
"The objective of the program was to give first−year students the opportunity to talk about some of the themes that were discussed during the orientation program," Carpenito said.
In groups of 20 to 30, freshmen discussed themes such as friendship, diversity and the roles of alcohol and intimate relationships in college life. The program raised issues ranging from study habits to sexual health and sought to inform freshmen about on−campus services, including the Academic Resource Center and Health Service.
The program's script, written by Yugawa and Gauchel, drew ire for several questions regarding sexual pleasure, satisfaction and consent in intimate situations.
"Student leaders, including myself, felt that there were many awkward questions regarding hook−up culture that made first−years uncomfortable as they were amongst a group of strangers and not friends they have shared their lives with," Orientation Leader Amanda Huang, a senior, said.
When presented with the questions on intimate relationships, some Orientation Leaders departed from the program's script, skirting discussion topics they felt were too sensitive for the environment.
"ROOTs was a good idea to recap all the panels demonstrated during orientation as it created discussion within the first−years about how to make friends, the importance of diversity, and academic and social life at Tufts," Orientation Leader Rachel Winnall, a senior, said. "But on the other hand, I felt that first−years and student leaders were overwhelmed by the selection of inappropriate questions regarding sexual history, and, as a result, student leaders altered these questions into a more appropriate format."
According to Carpenito, orientation leaders were instructed to focus on the topics that stimulated the greatest interest and discussion among participants. Students were not required to respond to any question that made them uncomfortable.
"The questions were meant to create discussion," Carpenito said. "Students were never asked to share information that they weren't comfortable sharing."
Still, some freshmen said they felt uncomfortable with the experience as a whole.
"I did not really enjoy my experience at ROOTs because, in addition to being scheduled very late, I felt like the student leaders and freshmen had no direction in guiding the discussion, and I felt uneasy with the questions specifically targeted to hook−up culture," freshman Abby Niesen said.
Despite the array of awkward personal questions regarding hook−up culture and sexual history, many students highlighted the program's merits.
"ROOTs touched upon many important issues of discussion such as alcohol, drugs, mental health, academic aid and social life at Tufts, all of which provide valuable information to first−years," Winnall said.
"I thought it was very successful. We received lots of positive feedback from orientation leaders, RAs and students that the program went very well," Carpenito said.
Freshman Lola Yu also called the program informative and helpful. "I had a lot of fun meeting new people," she said. "I liked the interactive nature of the program because we could ask the upperclassmen any questions we had." Michael Del Moro contributed reporting to this article.
