As an athlete, I have never experienced AVANTI. However, I can attest to the separation that stems from a dissimilar orientation. It is on this premise that I support ending AVANTI for first-years and adopting a new orientation plan. AVANTI may be fun – I’ll admit that. You get to go white water rafting or kayaking or spend a week learning how to direct movies; but do you really get acclimated to college life? Do you really experience an orientation that allows for the most social growth? I don’t think so.
By separating students into small groups as soon as they arrive on campus, the AVANTI program begins to form our friendships and social circles for us. There are very few opportunities during the orientation when you get a chance to meet everyone and choose the way you want people to see you. Even during the nighttime roller-skating or bowling activities, only those who stay at Guilford participate.
If you go on the rafting trip, you may be seen as the outdoors type. If you choose not to go on any trip, people may consider you socially inept. If you’re required to stay on campus for sports, you’re often labeled a jock.
While students are on AVANTI, athletes spend an entire week going to meetings, eating meals, and socializing on their free time with other athletes. The social circle that they first enter is larger than any AVANTI trip can provide. During the first weeks of school, athletes tend to group together and not reach out to the rest of the student body because they already have a large circle of friends.
Students who attended AVANTI return to campus with only a small social circle. By returning in smaller niches to encounter the larger group of athletes, a gap has already begun to form.
The new orientation plan is designed to bring the new students together, rather than separating students into small groups as soon as they arrive on campus like AVANTI does. During orientation, practice times will be designated and no other programs will occur during those times. This will allow athletes to attend the same social functions as the rest of the incoming students.
Also, activities designed to foster social bonding will be planned rather than letting students just hang out during their free time. A bowling alley or club will be rented out for a night. A bus will shuttle students downtown so that they can see what the city of Greensboro has to offer. Later in the year, the same bus will shuttle students to the city so they can attend the places they found during orientation.
The new orientation will be designed so that first-years grow accustomed not only to the students in the class, but to the school and the city as well. Also, instead of predetermining social circles through sports or one singular activity (i.e. rafting), students will have the freedom to insert themselves into the social scene however they wish.
They can identify themselves by their home state, their taste in music, their love to party, or however they choose to represent themselves upon first meeting people.
Most importantly, with the new orientation athletes will not be classified only as athletes because of their preseason requirements. They will be able to attend the same social functions as the rest of their class, and they can step out of the jock stereotype.
I believe the new orientation plan is excellent. Orientation will actually show students what their college experience will be like. People from outside of Greensboro will get a good look at the area’s social life. Most importantly, every student will have the freedom to choose their own social niche and stereotypes will be limited to those who wish to represent one.