Zimmerman said that initial feedback indicates that first-year orientation was well-received, even in the face of slight logistical setbacks. Several group events, including "Sex on Campus" and "Experiences," had to be moved to Leede Arena to accommodate preparation for the presidential debate. She said that although this year's orientation had few problems, the First-Year Office is always reevaluating the orientation schedule to enhance it in the future.
"We had a couple of new things," she said. "We're always looking to make improvements. Our large-group programs change from year to year based on the quality of presenters that we are looking at."
Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone said his department made a few alcohol-related arrests during orientation week, but called the number nothing out of the ordinary.
Director of Safety and Security Harry Kinne also reported a few alcohol-related violations during orientation. Safety and Security handled one case on its own, while one student had to be taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for medical care. The Good Samaritan policy was implemented at least once during this period. Like Giacconne, Kinne said that the number of violations this year was consistent with previous years.
"I think it's probably within the range of normalcy so to speak," he said. "Perhaps a little bit lower than previous years, though it is not extreme in either direction."
Many of the new activities this year were planned by Programming Board and the First-Year Office. Students drove bumper cars in Collis Common Ground and built their own personalized, stuffed moose adorned with a Class of 2011 T-shirt. While the expenses have yet to be calculated for this year, Programming Board contributed between $18,000 and $20,000 to orientation activities last year.
Elizabeth Silvey '08, senior chair for Programming Board, said that the new activities were a hit.
"The bumper cars were extremely popular," she said. "We are considering doing it again if there is enough interest on campus. The moose was also a big hit; we ran out of them."
Colleen Richardson '11 said that the moose-stuffing was one of her favorite activities during orientation.
"I think the stuff-a-moose was pretty great," she said. "We all were acting like kids again. Everyone wanted to make their moose look like a moose and not some deformed creature."
Ahra Cho '11 called the jam-packed week exhausting but enjoyable.
"It was a lot of fun," she said. "We were really busy and kind of felt overwhelmed. There were really a lot of things to do and not much rest."
Cho also offered a suggestion to improve next year's orientation.
"More Soulja Boy," she said, referring to the summer hit-making rapper.
