As members of the Class of 2004 prepare to leave the comfort of their homes and support of their families for a new and unfamiliar setting, the anxieties, decisions and conflicts that characterize freshman year need not be handled alone.
Meet Gail Zimmerman, dean of the first-year students and the head of the First-Year Office located in the basement of Parkhurst Hall.
Every year the First-Year Office provides resources -- from deans to pamphlets -- to help answer the numerous questions and concerns first-year students bring with them to College. Although many students obtain much of their information from peers and upperclassmen, the sole function of the office is to help students.
Zimmerman said her annual challenges include helping first-years find their place in the Dartmouth community and teaching them the values and expectations without preaching it to them.
Recently, the First Year Office has also had to deal with the changes stemming from the Trustee Student Life Initiative.
"Being a dean is a position in a type of leadership that helps sets vision and direction for where this office is going and how we respond to difficult initiatives," she said.
The Student Life Initiative "is big on everyone's plate," she said, noting that changes have already been introduced to the freshman orientation, beginning with the Class of 2003.
"The Class of 2004 is coming into Dartmouth in a time of change, and I really want to encourage them to be a part of that change ... and to be become involved and help shape their Dartmouth," Zimmerman said.
This year the First Year Office has had the luxury of a year's worth of planning, allowing them time to analyze orientation week in new and different ways.
"The calendar this year is an expansion and refinement of what began last year," Zimmerman added.
Indeed, a new emphasis on addressing social life at the College has been included during orientation, and this coming orientation will feature a staggering 54 new events in addition to what occurred last year.
Zimmerman offers strong words of encouragement for first-years to take advantage of events on the schedule, such as attending department open houses, fulfilling the summer reading requirement and attending its associated lectures and satellite lectures.
"The satellite lectures are an interdisciplinary approach to one theme or issue and a chance to interact with faculty in an unintimidating setting -- you're not getting graded," she said.
The First-Year Office provides a range of services, such as academic, major and personal advising as well as counseling students facing administrative discipline for conduct or academic violations.
According to Zimmerman, common first-year problems are academic or social in nature. Thinking about a major, adjusting study habits, finding and making new friends, adjusting to a rural living environment and sharing space with roommates are on the minds of many freshman.
For many students, Zimmerman said freshman year will be their first chance to make a lot of academic, social and lifestyle decisions on their own, without as much guidance and influence from their parents or others.
Zimmerman finds her job particularly rewarding because she enjoys working with Dartmouth's high-ability students because "they are motivated, ambitious and fun."
In her second year as dean of first-year students, Zimmerman was appointed acting dean last July, and she was named dean in February.
Zimmerman served as assistant dean in the First Year Office for six years prior to becoming dean. Zimmerman's first job at the College was as an academic counselor in the Academic Skills Center, and soon after she served a dual role as counselor and assistant dean.
Of course, Zimmerman is not the only dean available to assist first-years. Assistant Deans Roland Davis, Leigh Remy and Steve Cornish (East Wheelock Cluster) are there to lend a helping hand, as well.
