Change planned to NSO

If a new proposal passes, New Student Orientation will be three days longer. The Council of Undergraduate Deans will vote on a proposal that would revamp New Student Orientation, making it three days longer and more academically oriented than it has been in the past. The proposed week-long agenda will encourage students to explore Philadelphia -- with trips to local stores and historical sites -- and will also allocate more time for students to talk to advisors and learn about the school's academic resources. The NSO proposal was developed by the Undergraduate Assembly and the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education. If the proposal is passed, the new orientation may debut this fall. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman, a member of CUD, said he was enthusiastic about the proposal and hopes to see changes in NSO take place as soon as possible. "I have been a vigorous advocate of lengthening NSO and strengthening the academic component," he said. College and Wharton sophomore David Burd, a member of the UA, and College sophomore Lindsey Mathews, a member of SCUE, have been working on the proposal for a year and a half and presented it to CUD last November. Feeling that students were dissatisfied with the current NSO due to its length, Burd and Mathews looked into other Ivy League and top-10 colleges and universities' orientation programs -- and found that all of the schools had longer orientations than Penn. "[While researching student's dissatisfaction with NSO] we felt that time length was the underlying factor for [those] unsatisfied with NSO," Mathews said. The proposal outlines three key focal areas for orientation: history, community and resources. "Whatever happens in the first four to six days [of orientation] will mean more than any other four to six days [at Penn]," Burd said. During the proposed orientation, students would be exposed to Philadelphia history through lectures and trips to Center City. The community element would be highlighted by service activities and cultural events, such as a fair in Clark Park. And student resource knowledge would be improved by educating students about the libraries and the technology and advising systems. The proposal also calls for more personal time for students to meet with advisors and more education about the workings of the advising system. Beeman said he wanted to see more personal academic advising come out of the revamping of NSO. "It is imperative that students are able to engage in advising," Beeman said. "Every single entering freshmen should have a meaningful session [with their advisor]." He added that the proposal was compliant with the College's academic advising goals. Wharton Vice Dean Richard Herring, a member of CUD, agreed that there was a consensus for emphasizing academics and the cultural aspects of Philadelphia. He said, however, that it was still too early to determine how and when these changes would be implemented.