The Office of New Student Programs is working to further expandactivities for transfer and non-traditional students during theWeekend of Welcome.
In addition, they are working towards organizing events andprograms through out the semester to make transfer students feelmore involved in campus life.
Jeremy Herbel is the peer adviser for Transfer andNon-traditional Student Programs.
He says that Weekend of Welcome activities have already beenexpanded in the last year.
“In January of last year, we offered a luncheon and apizza dinner,” Herbel said.
“Before, we only had orientation for transfer students.Now, we try to get them more into [campus life.]”
Naomi Nicholas was a part of those activities last semesterafter transferring to SMU from Delmar College. She is now thedirector of Weekend of Welcome for Transfer and Non-traditionalStudent Programs.
“I wanted to do what Jeremy [Herbel] was doing,”Nicholas said. Herbel at the time was an activities director forNSP.
Nicholas said her office is planning to get more input fromtransfer students for activities.
“NSP is look for student leaders. We’re holding infosessions Nov. 11-13,” Nicholas said. “Right now,we’re brainstorming ideas for WOW.”
Nicholas says that office has already held a focus group to getideas on how to get transfer students more involved and active oncethey come to SMU.
“They said they’d like to plan a socialevent,” Nicholas said, “to meet and go off campus, tothe movies or to dinner together.”
Nicholas also said that the office is planning on forming anhonor society, Tao Sigma, for transfer students on campus.
Although the budget has not been specifically allocated forthese activities and programs, Nicholas said they will be organizedthis semester.
“It’s not all finalized, but it will happen thissemester,” Nicholas said.
She expects the response from transfer students to be strong,and office has placed ads around campus, hoping to raise awarenessof the programs among transfer students.
“The focus group was basically a social event: we hadpizza and just talked and had fun. [The students] said they wantedto do something like that,” Nicholas said. “We’replanning a lot of things for [transfer students], they should takeadvantage.”
