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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 9, 1998)
iiySjl lursday • July 9,1998 The Battalion GGIELIFE DID lyes on the Prize iudent orientation leaders direct incoming freshmen through the ins and outs of college life at Texas A&M By Manisha Parekh StaffWriter 1 though most students spend their summers re laxing or going to class, e Aggie Orientation Leaders are Hd at work introducing a new t :lass of freshmen to the sights and lU-ets of Aggieland. '‘['■Dressed in maroon shirts and Hiki shorts, orientation leaders be seen around campus dur- V n | ^ ew Student Conferences ^'leading tours, answer- ng questions and king sure the in- ing freshmen are ing a good time, imberly Sabrsula, ctor of personnel for Aggie Orientation Rders and a senior ■nagement infor mation major, said the |ricntation leaders' is to make sure the |w Student Confer- es run smoothly. |"We take care of ck-in, give tours, Jange mixers and help at the lowdy Barbecue," Sabrsula said. Irientation leaders mingle and | to get the new students to meet each other." 3rian Anglin, director of the |[: program and a senior earth sci ence major, said accomplishing fhtil task takes many different |tep r ; kinds of people. sSdilB"We look for people from dif- lepiir ferent backgrounds to become ori- |m entation leaders," Anglin said. "We try to draw upon the different experi ences of students to balance the pro gram. We want the new students to feel like they are represented by the different types of orienta tion leaders." In order to become an ori entation leader, ap plicants must go through an interview process in April. After being accepted, the lead ers go on an overnight retreat to become acquainted with each other and the information they need to do their jobs. "We work through the differ ent programs and tell them what to expect. They learn the rules and regulations and go through sever al information sessions also," Sabrsula said. Orientation leaders also under go first aid training. A separate tour training is held for those who want to lead tours ^ around campus. > But for many ori entation leaders, the real fun begins when the new freshmen come to town. During the confer ences, orientation lead ers plan mixers —— during which they teach the new freshmen the orientation leader jig. Ener gizers are a time for playing games with a Aggie theme, such as "Reveille, Gig- em. Wildcat," a game like "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Although the Aggie Orienta tion Leader pro- gram is primarily there for the new Ags, the leaders themselves enjoy it as well. Cara Langley, a sophomore agricultural economics major, said The most popular question is 'Where do we go dancing?’” — Cara Langley, freshman orientation leader she really enjoys "Insights," dur ing which groups of 12 students have the opportunity to ask an orientation leader about any thing they are concerned about. "They come up with some of the best questions," she said. "The strangest question I've been asked is 'If you live on Northside, is sex free?' The most popular question is 'Where do we go dancing?'" Langley became an orientation leader because she enjoyed her New Student Conference and wanted to help out the University and other new students. "I had a lot of fun as a fish, and I wanted to meet some new people, so I became an orientation leader," Langley said. "It has really ex panded the opportunity to meet other people." Sabrsula enjoys her leaderhip role because she feels she reaches so many people. "I like the fact that you have the opportunity to reach every new student," she said. "I have a wonderful time." Anglin said she shares Sabr- sula's feelings toward being an freshman orien tation leader. 11 "We get to have interaction with every new student and leave your mark on every program you're in," Anglin said. 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