Testing the waters with their new webbed feet, thousands of incoming Ducks come to the University of Oregon campus each summer to participate in IntroDUCKtion, an orientation program designed to help new students register for classes, see campus, discover clubs and organizations and get advice on their brand-new academic endeavors.
Overall, 4,071 incoming students — with an added 2,976 family members in tow — are expected to attend. The sessions include eight two-day regular sessions, two one-day sessions for transfer students and an off-site program for students from Hawaii.
“The UO sort of set a national benchmark for two-day orientations for freshman,” said Cora Bennett, director of Student Orientation programs at the UO. “We make sure that students get to see the residence halls and that they get to talk with other students one-on-one. It’s more than just an advising and registration session; it’s much more than that.”
National trends have proved that students who participate in orientation programs stay in school at higher rates, perform better in their courses and graduate on time more often than students who don’t participate in the programs, Bennett said. IntroDUCKtion is meant to provide incoming students with a sense of confidence and solid foundation of support when they make the move to Eugene in the fall.
“It’s been really helpful,” Salem native Hannah Brumbaugh-Cunningham said of her IntroDUCKtion session. “I’m just excited for the whole college experience.”
Echoing that sentiment was journalism major-to-be Ashley McMurray, of Baker City. IntroDUCKtion allowed her to tour campus and get to know Allen Hall, home to the School of Journalism and Communication.
“They should really advertise how much you have to walk,” she said of the two-day orientation. “But I’m really excited to be part of the journalism school.”
A few things have changed about orientation from years past, however. With the UO still dealing with an outbreak of meningitis, incoming students have the option of getting free vaccinations during IntroDUCKtion. This puts parents’ minds at ease, Bennett said, because they can ask doctors questions about health and hygiene at the university.
Additionally, the ongoing campus construction of the Erb Memorial Union and 150 Columbia — both common hubs for these kinds of events — has forced the programs to relocate. This hasn’t posed a problem, though, because of the recent remodel of Straub Hall.
“It’s a beautiful, comfortable space that’s not full of wooden chairs,” Bennett said of the new two-story, 520-seat Straub lecture hall. “We have this perfect situation, with the best technology; parents are blown away and presenters love it. They’re able to interact with families much better.”
For those freshmen or transfer students who are unable to attend a summer IntroDUCKtion session, there will be a final orientation before the Week of Welcome in the fall, as well as an International Student Orientation in September.
— By Nathaniel Brown, Public Affairs Communications intern