An orientation leader answers questions of incoming freshmen.  This is the first time incoming freshmen experienced what it means to be a Lion.The Lion’s Roar / William Schmidt 

After checking in for orientation, incoming freshmen were able to see what it was like to ride on the Lion Traxx as they made their way to the New Student Union Ballroom to Browse with the Lions, where students and their parents learned what Southeastern has to offer from non-academic departments. 

The new students then said goodbye to their parents and headed to Pottle Auditorium to learn more about the orientation process, as well as meeting their academic dean and advisors to learn what classes to schedule for their first semester in college. 

Those in attendance proceeded to leave Pottle and broke off into smaller groups based on what color they were assigned at the start of orientation. This gave future students a chance to learn some tips about Southeastern as well as learn more about their student orientation leaders. Some freshmen found the bombardment of information overwhelming. 

“It’s really fun, but it is just a lot of information to hold onto for later,” said incoming freshman Maegen Guillory.

Orientation leaders were there to help incoming freshman with the overload of information. 

“I think [orientation leaders] are great,” said Guillory. “They both are really funny; they are outgoing and really personal. They make it easy to understand and ask questions.”

For lunch, incoming freshmen were given a chance  to relax and mingle with other attendees at the Mane Dish before breaking back into their small groups to learn about the financial aspect of college life. 

Everyone then headed to the Quad for the Get Connected portion of orientation where they had the chance to browse Southeastern’s student organizations.

For some, this was the highlight of orientation. 

“My favorite part is getting to meet with students now and talking about different organizations you can partake in,” said Guillory.

After the browse, the choice was given to continue to talk to organizations, learn about University Housing, attend an Honors Interest Meeting or mingle with peers before heading back with their groups for final questions for the orientation leaders for the day. 

The final event of the first day of orientation was the spirit competition where each color group competed to see who had the most spirit. Personal cheers were created, and the groups took turns competing. The winner would be announced the next day.

Along with future students, orientation leaders enjoyed the spirit competition. 

“My favorite part was definitely the spirit competition,” said junior engineering technology construction major Taylor Bishop and orientation leader of the Orange Oompa Loompas. “Seeing everyone yelling and interacting is really cool.”

Day two of orientation began with students learning rules of registration, how to access webmail, sign up for Southeastern’s emergency alert system and ended with registering for the first semester of classes.

Though orientation was an exciting experience, registering for classes ruined the experience for some. 

“No, I did not enjoy orientation. Registering for classes is very frustrating,” said incoming freshman Sarah Kron.  

Some remember their orientation differently. 

“When I came through orientation in 2012 as a Red Robin, I wanted to be an orientation leader,” said Bishop. “My leaders made me want to be a leader. I waited a year, but I still wanted to be an orientation leader.”

Six orientations take place throughout the summer. Each may have up to 200 participants attend. Overall, future students are confident about their orientation experience. 

“From what the evaluations tell us that we give every orientation program, students have thoroughly enjoyed the orientation program. They have gotten a lot out of it, and they feel confident in their decision to attend Southeastern in the fall,” said Assistant Director of Admission Keslie Smith.

An orientation group performs their personal cheers in the spirit competition in front of their peers and other color groups competing in the event. The color groups are assigned in the beginning of orientation, which were determined by their assigned colleges. The Lion’s Roar / William Schmidt

Incoming freshmen are led by their designated orientation leaders in the spirit competition.The Lion’s Roar / William Schmidt