For the Elon University class of 2029, preparing to start college began during the summer. For New Student Programs, preparations began back in the fall of 2024.
According to Director of New Student Programs Emily Krechel, preparing for orientation has involved efforts from student leaders, the staff of Elon’s New Student Programs office and a variety of campus and local partners.
Krechel said the process begins with hiring all the necessary student leaders consisting of student coordinators, team leads, and orientation leaders.
Student coordinators begin working the spring before orientation. During that time they hold office hours and help run training for team leads,who mentor groups of orientation leaders. According to Krechel, the spring also consists of group interviews for orientation leaders, students who directly guide students through orientation.
During the early summer, Krechel said her office and student coordinators focus on finalizing the schedule of events for orientation and move-in, where she assigns move-in times to each student individually using a spreadsheet.
“We want students to arrive at the same time as their roommate or close to, to say, ‘All right, I'm gonna get this bed or this desk,’” Krechel said. “We want them to have that conversation together.”
Additionally, Krechel said she makes sure that the residents in each building are spread out over time since most students will need to use an elevator to move their belongings.
When finalizing the schedule for orientation, Krechel said most events do not change much from year to year. Her office works to confirm the timing of orientation events and student leadership trainings with partners across campus, including the Title IX Office and the Elon 1010 program.
Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator Megan Karbley said her office works with others on campus, such as the Gender and LGBTQIA Center, to do seminars for new students during orientation.
The seminar they hold during orientation invites an off-campus speaker to talk with students and, according to Karbley, focus more on the issue of sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Karbley said that having Title IX as a part of the new student orientation is important because it can be the first time students interact with the topic.
“It's really important that here at Elon, we show early on that we're willing to have those difficult conversations,” Karbley said. “The next step is everybody, not just students, but everybody at Elon, modeling the way that we can talk through issues of power and violence, ideally before it gets to my office on a report side.”
Another campus partner that has involvement in new student orientation is the Elon 1010 program. Elon 1010 is a seminar class that first-year students take during their fall semester.
Director of Elon 1010 Brandy Propst said Elon 1010 is the connection point for students between orientation and starting classes. Students are placed into their orientation group by their Elon 1010 class, which allows students to get to know each other before classes begin.
“That helps foster community, it helps foster belonging,” Propst said. “It helps students make connections and have a community within the community.
Orientation leaders pose for pictures with their signs during New Student Programs student staff media day Aug. 21.
During orientation, students and their families meet their Elon 1010 advisor and student peer educator. Propst said that beyond being helpful for students, the meeting can be helpful for the families.
“Their family members and their parents and their guardians and support systems, being able to meet the person who is going to help guide their student through their first semester, that gives those family members a different type of comfort level with their student going off to college,” Propst said. “Especially if this is their first student going to college.”
Krechel said that having sessions with orientation leaders, peer educators and meeting resident assistants early is important for new students because it allows them to find and connect with the first mentors they will have on campus.
“We want students to get to know other people and have these meaningful relationships that they walk away from having learned or grown or dug deeper or developed more authentic connections with people,” Krechel said.
First-year students move in Aug. 22, and new student orientation will run from Aug. 22 to Aug. 25.