WELCOME BACK: U. revises new student orientation week plans

The University-wide new student orientation programs, which will begin on Sunday, have been revised this year so that new students are not overwhelmed by the three days of intense activities. "We have so much to say to the students but not nearly enough time to do it," said Terri White, the director of Student Life Programs, who organized orientation. White said she tried to break up the freshman class of 2300 into smaller groups as often as possible to allow more participation from the students. On Sunday, Full Circle Intergenerational Theater Group from Temple University will perform It's A Different World, in which they will act out three scenarios reflecting the experiences of first year students. The director will then engage the audience in a discussion of the play. On Labor Day, the freshmen will attend the fourth annual Multicultural Experience at Penn. After opening comments from President Sheldon Hackney and others, Henry Cisneros, the former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas and a prominent leader in the Latin community will give the keynote address. The students will then break up into groups of about 30, each led by a faculty member and a student. White said they will discuss the speeches as well as "situations without easy answers." The group leaders will suggest strategies for dealing with those situations, she said. "We're trying to help students understand that they're living in a multicultural environment and that there are benefits and problems to this," White said. On Tuesday, incoming freshmen will participate in the second year of the Freshman Reading Project, a program in which they will discuss Narrative of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave with their peers and faculty members. "Most of freshman orientation activities are to build community within the freshman class," said Kent Peterman, executive assistant to College Dean Norman Adler. "The Penn Reading Project is an attempt to let the students come in contact with the faculty immediately." The autobiography of Douglass, was chosen by a committee made up of faculty representatives from each of the undergraduate schools and one student, chaired by Associate Legal Studies Professor William Tyson. According to Tyson, the book was selected by asking the faculty for suggestions through Almanac. "We were interested in having a book that could be read in one sitting, that would be accesible to the students, and have some carryover value," Tyson said. Forty-eight members of the freshman class will be returning today from a three-day trip in the Poconos. During Pennquest, a program initiated and partially sponsored by the Penn Trustees of Penn Women, the freshmen learned camping skills, astronomy and about the environment from the Poconos Environment Education Center. They also participated in challenge and leadership excercises. White said, "They'll come back stronger and more determined to meet the challenges of the college experience." The freshmen were led by nine team leaders, upperclassmen who volunteered their services to White in May. New student orientation will also include Casino Night in Houston Hall, a "Wild Video Dance Party" in the Quad, Summerfest on Hill Field and a Phillies game, among other things. There will also be activities throughout the weekend for parents.

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