Incoming freshmen will experience changes to the summer orientation and registration program beginning in mid-July.

In the past, orientation leaders showcased live skits for students and their guests. However, after feedback from previous years was reviewed, the skits have been erased from this year’s program to make room for a longer, more personal registration process.

Associate Dean of Students Tori Svoboda said the challenge has been trying to find a happy medium for students.

“We had a lot of feedback from students that while the course registration was one of the more important parts of the day, it also felt like one of the most chaotic,” Svoboda said. “And that’s a bit of unnecessary anxiety that we don’t think is healthy or helpful.”

To reduce the anxiety, students will now have a 15-minute, one-on-one meeting with an academic counselor or adviser to assist them with their already scheduled courses.

Svoboda said students’ registered courses are not set in stone when they attend orientation.

“We’re asking students a lot more information this year about their interests and then registering them for their courses before they get here,” Svoboda explained. “When they get here, if there’s anything about their schedule that doesn’t work for them, we’ll be able to make some adjustments.”

Sophomore Brandon Miranda, who was an orientation leader last summer, said that the new one-on-one registration process will create less confusion for freshmen.

“To a degree, it does get kind of hectic,” Miranda said. “You’re all sitting in a room trying to register and people are raising their hands; the orientation leaders are running around trying to answer all of the questions.”

Miranda also said while registration might be easier on the students, they will miss out on the legendary live skits.

“Live skits brought us (orientation leaders) together,” Miranda said. “Some of the best memories from orientation were skit practices, where we mess up and can’t help but laugh about it. It bonded us, and I think the degree of bonding might go down for the future leaders.”

Various skits from previous years will be pre-recorded and shown throughout the day to students, parents and guests.

For freshman Mariann Kukielka, live skits were her favorite part of summer orientation, and said she thinks that the new freshmen class will be missing out.

“They (the skits) were not only creative, but they taught me so much about what to expect,” Kukielka said. “I honestly think it’s really disappointing.”

Another change to the program will be the opportunity to use the Anderson Student Center for the first time. Lunch will be served in The View and the information fair will take place in Campus Way.

“Using this space is definitely something to look forward to,” Miranda said. “I think it will be more efficient.”

Sophomore Xavier Vergara will be an orientation leader this summer and will experience the changes first.

“I think the changes will help make the orientation day more relaxed for students,” Vergara said. “The incoming freshmen can now focus on getting comfortable with campus and with each other.”

Svoboda is also excited to see the changes go from paper to reality.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing how it’s all going to play out,” she said. “We spend all year planning this and then there are some things you can’t know until it begins. So when it begins, we’ll be excited to see how it really unfolds.”

Miranda has high hopes for the orientation leaders and the incoming freshmen, and said the changes are really only an adjustment.

“I don’t think it will make that big of a difference. From our perspective it will, but not to theirs,” Miranda said. “I just hope they have a good time because it was the time of my life, and I hope they have the time of theirs.”

Terese Quarberg can be reached at quar3707@stthomas.edu.