U. orientation changes for Class of 2020

The University's orientation process underwent several changes this year, including mandatoryOutdoor Action or Community Action trips. This required all first-year students to be on campus before OA and CA, so instead of having a move-day for freshman participating in Outdoor Action or Community Action and another move-in day for all other first-year students, all members of the Class of 2020 moved in onSaturday, Sept. 3.

Zack Stier '20 said that he did not mind the changes. Stier, who participated in OA, said that he found the experience to be very enjoyable.

Other members of the University community also have positive views on the change. David Luo '18 said that he wishes Outdoor Action and Community Action were mandatory during his freshman year.

"I didn't do OA or CA myself," Luo said, "So I did feel left out those first few days, but it was just a few days."

Community Action program director Sara Grupposaid that the University waslooking for an opportunity for all students to have the small-group experience offered by OA and CA.

“Princeton really values the peer-to-peer experiences that take place through this program,” Gruppo said. “So by offering that opportunity to all members of the incoming class, I think that it will strengthen that transition and to have the opportunity for students to learn from their peers.”

Gruppoadded that CA allows for exposure beyond the University's campus and allows students to have an understanding of what their new home in Princeton, and in New Jersey, would be like.

“Service is a core value here at Princeton. I think it’s wonderful to have so many students be exposed to that in their Princeton career," she said.

Caroline Stone '14, Outdoor Action program coordinator, was unavailable for comment.Outdoor Action Director Rick Curtis did not respond to requests for comment.

Joshua Tam '18, finance chair of the Orientation Committee, said that efforts to revitalize orientation activities were also made togive students a better introduction to the University.

In particular, he noted that the scavenger hunt, an activity that leads students around the University's campus, was changed to add a driver going around in a golf cart acting as “the golden snitch” for students to find.

Other new events included a carnival and an ice cream social that featured a large ice sculpture reading “Class of 2020 Princeton.”

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“I feel like the message that we were trying to get across there was to welcome the freshman to Princeton and to make sure that they had a good time," Tam said.

He added that he hoped to promote a sense of unity among the students in the Class of 2020 by making orientation activities more accessible to all students.

“Back when I was a freshman, I felt like we had a lot of great events, but most of the time I felt like I wasn’t really getting involved in a lot of them,” Tam said. “I think that’s partly because of me, but I think it’s also partly because I wasn’t aware of many of the events that were going on.”

Orientation events are scheduled to last until Sept. 19, according to the orientation website. Remaining events include Thursday's Nassau Street Sampler and Three Floors of Fun, along with Friday's Activities Fair, among many others.