COLUMBUS -- What do university administrators do when 3,500 prospective students sign up for a program expected to draw about 1,000?

     In the case of the First Year Experience (FYE) program at The Ohio State University, planners brace for a busier autumn than they already expected – and celebrate that fact.

            Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions and the First Year Experience, told the university’s Board of Trustees Wednesday (8/29) that during freshman orientation this summer, the campus bookstore sold 3,500 copies of the two books selected for the new Buckeye Book Community this autumn. “We hoped that 500 to 1,000 students would do this,” she said. “I think the book sales bode well for first-year students’ participation in activities this fall.”

            The Buckeye Book Community is among a number of initiatives collaboratively launched this fall for the entering freshman class under the umbrella of the Office of First Year Experience. Programs and strategies are designed with a primary goal in mind: to make transition to Ohio State undergraduate life as smooth as possible for the approximately 5,800 new freshmen and 2,000 new transfer students.

            “A successful First Year Experience program has to involve the breadth of the campus. This has been a joint effort involving a lot of people,” Freeman said. “It’s clear we’re bringing in stronger classes every year in terms of the academic profile. But that’s not the only thing keeping students enrolled. We’ve designed programs that put information in their hands and that allow students to become acquainted with the university. A lot of what we’re doing helps them feel comfortable on campus so they can be successful.”

            The Buckeye Book Community books, Night by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel and Brothers and Sisters by Bebe Moore Campbell, have been selected for students, faculty and staff who want to participate in the campus “conversation” about themes of diversity and change. The program is designed to facilitate discussion based upon a shared reading experience, and will feature Columbus campus visits by the two renowned authors. A discussion with Campbell is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 10 in Weigel Auditorium, and a discussion with Wiesel is at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in Mershon Auditorium.

            Freeman, joined by a number of faculty and administrators across the university representing the numerous offices assisting with development of First Year Experience programming, outlined for trustees a handful of autumn quarter FYE features.

            One initiative took place behind the scenes, she noted. Organizers kept tabs on students who signed up at orientation for recitation sections of two common autumn quarter freshman mathematics courses, and worked with housing and registrar’s office officials to assign many of these students to live in Stradley Hall. The students still have the roommates they asked for, but through this stealth operation, more than 180 new freshmen will see familiar faces in class and in their residence halls. Because of that familiarity, they are likely to gravitate into study groups, Freeman said. Math teaching assistants also will hold some help sessions in Stradley Hall and the residence hall staff will offer additional support programs regarding mathematics.

            Beginning this year, Ohio State’s introductory survey course for all freshmen will be taught within each college or advising unit rather than being administered through a single university unit. To complement the courses this autumn, FYE has created the First-Year Success Series, a seven-week series of 70 programs revolving around typical survey course themes, such as financial management, wellness, diversity, leadership and issues concerning alcohol use. Programs will feature guest speakers ranging from Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer to Ohio State football great Archie Griffin, and interactive discussion topics such as “Money Management 101” and “Fighting the Freshman 15.” Survey course instructors will incorporate attendance of their students at a certain number of programs over the seven-week period.

            Also available to first-year students is an arts packet being sold through the residence halls and the university Honors & Scholars Center that encourages new students to sample the arts scene in Columbus. For $20, students will receive a package of tickets for performances by the city’s symphony orchestra, jazz, ballet and theater organizations.

On the faculty front, Freeman noted, senior faculty representatives from departments teaching significant numbers of freshmen will participate in a series of discussions on the teaching of first-year students through seminars offered by the Office of Faculty and TA Development.

     Freeman distributed to trustees a resource book also given to all parents and students who attended summer orientation. “We want family members at home to have as much information as the student has, so if a student hits a snag and calls home, a parent can point to a university resource identified in the book,” Freeman said. “These books help us help students become more autonomous.”

            Finally, Freeman said that during Convocation 2001 with President William E. Kirwan this autumn, all new students will receive a scarlet and gray tassel – colors not represented by any of Ohio State’s colleges.

            “We want them to keep these tassels as a constant reminder that, at the end of their undergraduate journey, they are going to wear a tassel with the colors of their college,” she said. “They’re going to go through a lot in their first year. We don’t want them to lose sight of the goal.”

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