Orientation For New Students

By Isaac Graham · The Mainstream
Published Janurary 24, 2012

Making it through enrollment in any educational institution without hearing the phrase “New Student Orientation” is nearly impossible, but a discussion has begun that will determine whether enrolling at UCC will be impossible without participating in New Student Orientation.

 “We are just in the discussion process and the team that is going to be working on the idea has yet to meet,” said Marjan Coester, director of Student Life. 

If mandatory orientation were to be implemented, it would not be retroactive.  Only future new students would be required to participate in the class prior to their first term of enrollment.

Currently, students who want to participate in orientation have two options.  The New Student Orientation class is offered in-person and on-line and both options are free of charge. 

The online version requires an approximate time investment of two hours and the in-person version is close to three hours long.  This time differential may be diminished in the near future, however, as Coester explains: “We are looking at expanding the on-line version to include more information.”

Other than this lengthening of the on-line version of the class, there is no plan to change the orientation curriculum at this time.  The conversation is simply over whether the current orientation class should be made mandatory for new students in the future.

New Student Orientation is offered before the first term of attendance.  For more information on orientation, see Marjan Coester in her office located in the student lounge area.