The First Year Experience (FYE) Leaders are a group of students that are dedicated to enhancing the first-year experience for our students. They serve as resources for guests and students during registration days, facilitate small groups during orientation, and they will help students in the fall.
“Previously, this group was known as Orientation Leaders, and that role was more specific to helping during registration days and Jet Days Orientation,” explained First Year Experience Graduate Assistant Jordan Frederking. “We recognized that our first-year students were needing more from us as they navigate their first year of experience. They have a great opportunity to transition through T&T (Traditions and Transitions), but many students were looking for ways to get connected on campus outside of the classroom. We created the FYE Leaders program to help bridge that gap. These leaders help with so much more than orientation, and will better serve the needs of our first-year students compared to the OL’s last year.”
The goal of this group is to be a resource for Newman University first-year students and to help them get connected to each other and to the campus in a meaningful way. “We want the group to have fun and help ease that transition for our students as much as possible,” Frederking added.
They intend on reaching this goal by planning very intentional and meaningful programs for the fall that are designed to engage first-year students outside of the classroom, and the FYE leaders will be heavily involved in carrying out that programming.
Frederking said, “We have events planned for our commuter students, and some that are meant to gather all freshmen together, that will help them get to know their classmates better. FYE Leaders will also work closely with a small group of students during their time at orientation and the first semester, which will hopefully allow some close bonding to occur between our FYE leaders and our first-year students.”
Among the FYE Leaders is Morgan Shobe, who is the FYE Student Director. She explained her and the other students’ involved roles. “When the incoming freshmen come to Registration Day, we are basically there to guide them around campus and help them get registered. Then the next time we see them, before school starts, is at our Jet Orientation Day. There again, we are there for them to ask questions, lead them to where they need to go, and to just be their friend if they don’t know anybody.”
When asked by an incoming freshman, “Why should I choose Newman University,” Shobe had a confident response. “Choosing Newman is like saying, ‘Yes grandma, I’ll come over for dinner tonight.’ Newman is fairly small if you can’t tell. Everybody knows everybody. The smaller class sizes will help you learn better, and you also get more student/teacher time. No matter if you come from a small town or big city, Newman will be like your next home.”
