Tufts is introducing changes to its undergraduate orientation next year, implementing a plan to place students into randomly assigned groups. The format will mimic that of the university’s pre-orientation program and will be led by student leaders who will aim to provide a more welcoming and close-knit environment for new students through various events and bonding activities.
As part of the changes that began last year, students are being charged a $500 fee for orientation in addition to a $550 fee if they choose to participate in a Pre-O program. The funds will go, in part, towards paying next year’s orientation leaders.
Mary Kate Kelley, the director of Orientation and Student Experience, said the changes came as a response to student and family feedback from surveys that suggested a lack of connection during orientation.
“This [fee] is going to help sustain the student arrival experience changes we previously made, add more social programming, and create orientation leaders as a paid position,” Kelley wrote in a statement to the Daily.
Although Kelley does not expect this fee to change next year, there will be options for waiving the fee based on financial need.
Eli Benatar Faranesh, a sophomore who participated in the Tufts Wilderness Orientation Pre-O program, had similar feedback, saying that orientation was not as successful in welcoming students as it could have been.
“We didn’t have as many events, compared to my friends at other schools,” Benatar Faranesh said. “I really think that Tufts could do a better job of making you feel overly welcomed and throwing so much stuff at you … as positive as possible.”
Kelley’s office looked at orientation programming at other universities to decide what format would be the most effective at addressing this issue and providing a more welcoming environment for students.
In the spring, Tufts will hire roughly 300 orientation leaders as well as additional support staff, both of which will be compensated positions. Any student who wishes to apply should expect a similar process to the one for Pre-O leaders. Recruitment for these positions will open at the beginning of next semester, with applications closing in February.
Students who want to be a part of Pre-O staff are also encouraged to apply to be an orientation leader and can be selected for both positions.
Some students disagreed with the decision to implement a fee for orientation programs. Benatar Faranesh says it is “silly” to make students pay for a mandatory event.
Evan Outwater, a first-year student who participated in the First-Year Orientation CommUnity Service Pre-O program, wished Tufts would find another way to fund the events and leader compensation.
“I don’t know if the student should fund it because it’s mandatory to come to orientation, so I feel like you shouldn’t have to pay for that,” Outwater said. “I feel like they could find money somewhere to pay the leaders without taking away from the students.”
Iman Boulouah, a senior who worked as the Logistics and Operations Coordinator for orientation this year, is hopeful that changes to the structure of orientation will provide more support for new students.
“I think it would be a lot more helpful to have a group or just one figure that students can rely on. When you're coming in from high school, you’re not really sure about what’s going on,” Boulouah said. “I think it would be a lot more supportive.”
Outwater said Pre-O offered structured opportunities to make friends before classes began.
“Most of my friends now are from my [Pre-O] group, so I couldn’t imagine not doing it and then coming here in orientation not having anyone to hang out with,” Outwater said. “I imagine, having a group for just regular orientation, that would help a lot of students.”
Benatar Faranesh said his Pre-O group developed a strong bond that lasted throughout the year.
“We know that we have that connection and that we can go to each other if we need anything,” he said. “I think that’s a really special thing to have.”
Outwater said orientation, however, did not foster a sense of community for him or allow him to connect with other students on an individual level. He was optimistic that the implementation of orientation groups would encourage students to form tighter bonds with their peers.
“I think it’ll really help people make a baseline of friends, because in groups, you’re bound to run into one or two people you want to hang out with more,” Outwater said. “Being forced to hang out with the same people every day, you’ll eventually grow closer to them and bond with them.”
Kelley shared hopes that more structured orientation groups could create a stronger sense of community for new students.
“We are really excited about this change and are looking forward to creating a better transition for our new students,” Kelley wrote. “We think this will benefit students who do not participate in a [Pre-O] and help students that do a [Pre-O] make connections with other students outside of their [Pre-O] group!”
