The Fall New Students Orientation (NSO) was the first ever for the University of Massachusetts, but it was also layered with traditions that have been a part of the University’s character for generations.

First-year students arrived on campus on Thursday, Sept. 1 to begin the inaugural and historic Fall NSO that officially began their undergraduate experience.  The five-day orientation was filled with events that introduced students to virtually every facet of the University, from the fight song to the shops and boutiques that downtown Amherst has to offer.

The New Students Convocation, held at the Mullins Center on Friday, Sept. 2, brought together the entire campus community to teach the Class of 2015 what it means to be a UMass student. Groups of dancers, Sam the Minuteman and the UMass Minuteman Marching Band taught the class how to show their UMass pride.

Dr. James V. Staros, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, advised students to use their general education experience to discover themselves.

“Use your Gen Ed. classes to explore and who knows, you might find a new passion,” said Staros.

Chancellor Robert C. Holub brought forward his affirmation that the Class of 2015 has come to UMass at a pivotal point in its history.

“You will look back and see that you attended UMass at a particularly exciting time in its history,” said Holub, in reference to the many construction projects that are taking place on campus that the class will be able to benefit from.

Holub also recalled his first day on campus nearly four years ago, and remembered coming across a ditch that had been created as a result of a construction project outside the Whitmore Administration Building.  He told the class that construction is the key to ensuring that UMass remains competitive with other colleges and universities in the years to come.

“Any campuses that don’t have ditches, detours and cranes are not looking forward,” said Holub. “UMass is definitely not one of those campuses.”

As part of the Fall NSO, students were required to participate in a Common Read of “A Hope in the Unseen” by Ron Suskind, who chronicled the hardships of Cedric Jennings during his last years of high school in Washington D.C. to his first years of college at Brown University.

Jennings was the first in his family to attend and complete college and was on hand at the convocation as the keynote speaker. He impressed upon the class his belief to get out of one’s comfort zone and try new things to make the most out of the college experience.

“I left all that was comfortable to me, but I had a hope in my heart that all I had to do was work hard and that I would experience success,” said Jennings.

With the diversity of the Class of 2015, Jennings has no doubts that the many talents of the first-year students will help them to thrive at UMass.

“Our blessings come in huge packages, and I am confident that there’s nothing you can’t do,” said Jennings.

Students were also able to participate in a Common Read discussion with a faculty member, in addition to the dozens of workshops that were offered that taught students everything from how to use Spire and Spark to how to eat healthy at the dining commons.

The Fall NSO also got students off campus and introduced to their neighbors in Amherst, with local shops offering special discounts for first-year students that demonstrated that the college atmosphere of Amherst reaches far beyond the borders of UMass.

Freshman Amanda Grassia feels that the orientation helped to make her home-away-from-home seem more familiar.

“I personally felt more comfortable going to school with the notion that I would have a few days to meet tons of new people and faculty, learn about campus and get my bearings before having to dive into classes,” said Grassia.

While she did enjoy the activities that were planned, Grassia feels that the demanding schedule was difficult to keep up with and offers a suggestion for future Fall NSOs.

“Maybe moving in on Friday would be a better idea, so that way there are activities on Saturday and Sunday, only two days. I think students would be a lot more open to following an itinerary if it were shorter.”

Administration officials will be listening to suggestions such as Grassia’s as the orientation is analyzed and improvements are developed for next year, according to Eddie Hull, housing and residential life executive director, who realizes that the Fall NSO wouldn’t have worked without the full cooperation of the campus community.

“We needed every single member of the campus to be on board with this Fall NSO in order for it to be successful,” said Hull. “We’re going to analyze the heck out of [the Fall NSO] and see what worked well and what didn’t.”

Hull also pointed out that studies have been conducted which prove that making students feel at home and welcome is crucial for their success.

“The more connected that students feel, the more apt they are to persist to graduation,” said Hull. “We wanted to show students all that they can do at UMass; not what they can’t do.”

Hull also noted that all of the faculty who were present at the orientation were volunteering their time and were there to help make students feel comfortable with approaching faculty members for help.

“[The Fall NSO] was a way to put a human face on the faculty,” said Hull, and he added, “one of the most important things that we wanted to do at this orientation was to show that the faculty are here for the students.”

The Fall NSO also marked the launch of the First Year Intelligence (FYI) program, which is being offered to new students to help them become more aquainted with the campus and to let them know who they can reach out to if they need help.  FYI will continue for the entire academic year and will combine activities from both inside and outside the classroom.

“[FYI] is meant to show students that getting help and advice is not just something you do when you pick classes for the next semester,” said Jeanne Horrigan, director of NSO, and added, “I really feel like the Class of 2015 is well-grounded.”

Students who reside in Kennedy Hall in the Southwest Residential Area will also be participating in the eight-week piloted program called “Passport,” which is also a part of FYI.  Passport involves asking students to make connections with key people, places and things at UMass that will make their undergraduate experience a successful one.

“Passport is meant to help new students develop relationships and take advantage of the great opportunities on this campus,” said Horrigan.

Both the FYI and Passport programs will be fully assessed upon their completion this year and student input on the programs will be heavily weighed.  And although both of these programs are not required, taking part in them could land first-year students several prizes, including gift cards and bus tickets.

“It’s really to students’ advantages to take part in these programs because it will only make their first year of college more successful,” said Horrigan.

Dan Peltier can be reached at [email protected].