Summer orientation program tries to ease new student’s transition
By Don La Plante
Editor
After four years in high school, the transition to the urban university can be very shocking and frightening to most students. The students are leaving the safety and security of home for the first time and coming to a place with over 23,000 other students.
The purpose of the summer orientation program is to help the new student adjust more easily to the university and to give some insight into what life at USC is like.
But, it is not just a series of speeches by university administrators or a glorified campus tour, the program tries to give each student people they can know and information that will enable them to know who to contact when they encounter a problem during their career at the university.
This year there are ten orientation programs on campus from July through the beginning of August. Some of the programs are scheduled for the weekend and others are held during the week.
The sessions each run for two days and cost $35 for those staying on campus. This provides for meals and rooms in the residence hallsalong with the cost of the program.
But the program is not just for the students, but also for the parents. The parents are given tours ofthe campus and participate in discussion groups where
their questions about the university are answered by members of the faculty and administration.
This is designed to acquaint the parents with the university and reassure them about the place their children are going to school at.
To help the students and parents learn about the university there are nine students on the staff ofthe orientation program. These students represent a cross-section of the student body. There are blacks, whites, Orientals with the academic standing ranging from sophomore to senior, also with a range of grade point averages.
“Each one of us is a token of something. We are all types and colors here (on the staff),” said Pat Gregston, a member of the staff.
“We keep loose and easy and hope the students will draw from our example. We have to deal with people’s fears and concerns. If you get them ready, they don’t have to get turned off to the whole college deal,” Gregston said.
There were 124 applicants for the summer orientation staff, and out of that group nine were chosen. Each member attended a counseling course to prepare them for the program during the spring semester.
The first morning of the program begins with a check-in and then off to Founders Hall for placement tests. The students are given the appropriate tests,
such as English, foreign language, math and chemistry placement.
After lunch the students are addressed by Robert Mannes, the dean of student life, who welcomes them and tries allay their fears.
Mannes emphasizes the diversity of the university. He said that while there are many activities for a student to engage in from fraternities to football games, there are also academics and that is the primary purpose for the student being at the university.
Following the introductory remarks by Mannes, the students break into small discussion groups, each with a student adviser and a faculty or staff member, to talk about the university, problems the students may face, and to get to know each other.
There are also dorm tours and a special presentation for prehealth sciences students.
The students in the program are also helped to register for classes. The students are given registration packets and the procedures are explained for them by the staff. Advisement for students in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is handled by the staff, while students in other divisions are sent to the appropriate department advisers.
Gregston said many students come to the university with the idea that it will change their lives, make all of their career decisions and everything will be taken care of.
“We are honest with the students. Many come here with the notions that there are loose women, parties all the time. That’s just not true. We try to get those notions out of people’s heads right off,” she said.
One student in the program said, “The orientation program laid out everything for me. Testing, registration and everything.
I can't say it was a totally enjoyable experience, but it surely wasn't bad.”
Services held for Sandell
Terry Sandell, who had been a parkingguard with the university since 1969 and who died July 22, was buried
Tuesday.
Sandell, 47. was buried at Lakeside Gardens at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier He had suffered from diabetes and had been
hospitalized earlier this year due to problems with his overweight condition.
The family requested that in lieu of any flowers that memorial donations be sent to the American Diabetes Association, 1127 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, Ca. 90019 with acknowledgement.
Summer
Trojan
Volume LXVIV, Number 13
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Friday, July 30, 1976
Williams wins silver medal in long jump
MONTREAL—Randy Williams jumped 27 feet, 6% inches in the long jump finals on Thursday, but it was only good enough for a silver medal in the event.
Williams, who had won the gold medal in 1972 in Munich, lost in the event to Arnie Robinson of San Diego. Robinson jumped only a couple of inches more, but that was the differnce between the gold and the silver for Williams.
In the preliminaries on Wednesday, Williams had led all qualifiers with a jump of 26 feet, 1% inches, but that mark was of no consequence and it merely moved Williams into the finals.
Williams had competed for the Trojan track team in previous years, but his eligibility had run out and he did not compete on the team this year. He did attend school during the year and completed his degree.
Before the games, Williams had said he felt ready for the games and was peaking for the Olympics, while other athletes .had peaked for the NCAA or AAU championships. However, in the end, Robinson peaked a little better than Williams.
The silver medal by Williams
brings the total number of medals won by either present of former USC athletes to 12. USC athletes have eight gold medals and four silver, including the one from Williams. No USC athletes have won bronze medals so far in the games.
The only Troj an athletes left to compete in the games and Donald Quarrie and Lennox Miller, who will run on the 400-meter relay team for their home country of Jamaica. The final in that event is scheduled for Saturday.
Quarrie has already won two medals with a silver in the 100 meters and a gold in the 200 meters.
In a game for seventh place in the volleyball tournament on Tuesday night, Brazil defeated Italy 3-0. Celso Kalache, who formerly played on the Trojan team, represented his native country of Brazil in volleyball.
In the overall medal standings, if USC were an independent country it would be in a tie for ninth place. Counting the medals in the swimming relay events as only one medal for an event, then USC has won outright or been a part of 11 medals, tying USC with Hungary, Britain and Italy for ninth.
Medicine prof Haverback dies of blood clot at 50
Bernard J. Haverback, a professor of medicine for 19 years and chief of gastroenterology at the County-USC Medical Center, died Wednesday of an apparent blood clot. He was 50 years old.
Haverback was the author of many articles on gastrointestinal cancer and was the coeditor of a standard textbook on gastroenterology.
He was a member of the Army Surgeon General’s Council on
Gastroenterology and was active in the grants section of the National Institute for Health.
He had degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins school of medicine. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha.
Services will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at Mt.’Sinai Memorial Park.
TRANSITION PERIOD—Mike Levine, a summer orientation counselor (second from left), talks to incoming students about the problems they will face at the univer-
sity and how to solve them. Summer Trojan photo by Teferi Nessibou.
FINALS OVER?—Today is the last day of the regular summer session, and for a number of students, this scene at the beach will be the one they will be seeing rather than the classrooms at the university. Summer Trojan photo by Mike Ito.