By Jennifer Hanley
Student Orientation Staff helps freshmen adjust to campus life
Summer break is here, and for a group of University of Louisville undergraduate students, it marks the beginning of working with incoming freshmen.
These students are known as SOSers, short for Student Orientation Staff. They come from all different backgrounds and from different majors and schools to become the first point of contact for many incoming freshmen. They help schedule and register incoming freshmen for classes, get them acquainted with the Belknap campus, and soothe the normal fears of matriculating into a major university.
Who are these people who would give up part of their summer to perform this service?
Each person represents a different culture and experience. They come together to share their experiences with incoming freshmen. They are often called upon to answer questions on how to best survive the transition of being in college. However, the more rewarding experience may be learning about each other.
“The people I work with are awesome,” Jill Sullivan, a sophomore theater arts major said. “Being an SOSer is an incredible experience. I have learned so much about the university and other cultures. We, as a group, have formed a family and I feel free to ask questions about things I might not have otherwise learned.”
This is the sentiment that is echoed from many of the SOSers. A sense of community has been built in a climate that has seen a lot of racial tension. This group of people has learned to be respectful of differences, which is an important quality when dealing with almost twenty-one hundred new freshmen.
“I enjoy the satisfaction of helping freshmen in the transition from high school to college,” said senior psychology major Damieon Briggs. “It is the reason I came back from a year off.”
Obviously, the freshmen gain a lot from coming in contact with a diverse group that has overcome many natural social boundaries to orient them to college living. Many of the current orientation staff members decided to become SOSers because of their experience in orientation just a year ago. Sophomore communication and political science major Jason Wade’s SOSer was Mandy Cullen, a senior sociology major. Jill Sullivan’s SOSer was Angela Vollmer, a senior communication major.
“I became an SOSer because many of my friends told me that I had the enthusiasm to do so,” Sullivan added. “Plus, Angela was my SOSer, and she did such a great job. I wanted to do that for incoming freshmen.”
The initial experience for these incoming freshmen is the most important thing to this group. They work hard to make sure the incoming freshmen have a great impression of the university. Some freshmen have not been completely sold on attending the U of L, and it is up to the SOSers to put the University’s best foot forward.
“I took this job to make sure the freshmen have as great an experience as I had. I want them to love U of L as much as I do,” said Wade.
