On Sunday, Aug. 28, nearly 400 students boarded eight buses and headed to Hocking Hills in southeastern Ohio for the first-ever HYPE First-Year Common Experience. Judging by student reaction and feedback, the trip was a great bonding experience, a way to begin to learn about 鈥楤erg traditions and it was a ton of fun!
鈥淭he Amazing Race at the beginning of the camp 鈥 was conducive to meeting new people I may not have otherwise had the opportunity to talk to,鈥 said freshman Judy Smith. 鈥淭he bonfire that we had was one of the best activities of the trip, and my activity (zip lining) was some of the most fun I鈥檝e had in my life.鈥
Freshman Christian Magill agreed. 鈥淚 did enjoy the trip to Hocking Hills. The things I liked the most were the activities we could choose on the pond like fishing, canoeing, water slide, etc. I think that made the trip the most fun because we were not in groups and could meet more people.鈥
Joining the new students on the First-Year Common Experience were a group of faculty and staff facilitators and upperclass mentors.
The trip seemed to have achieved one really important goal: the students seem more connected and more at ease as they began classes. That鈥檚 according to a number of faculty members who shared feedback with Dean of Student Affairs Dustin Brentlinger.
With the First-Year Common Experience tucked away in students鈥 memories, we move on this week to our first of six HYPE Days on Thursday.
Activities have been planned to get students ready to hear from NASA legend and Apollo 13 commander Capt. James Lovell. The film 鈥淎pollo 13鈥 will be shown Tuesday night in The University Commons and students can take part in Interstellar Olympics, where teams of students will complete a series of tasks in a race to see who can save Apollo 13.
The entire campus is excited to hear from Capt. Lovell. Having opportunities to meet and hear from people like Capt. Lovell at a school 海外吃瓜's size is special and the keynote is just the beginning of a day full of unique workshops.
We鈥檙e all hyped about HYPE!