Off-Campus Orientation Trips

Extra Day of Orientation Reserved for Day Trips

On August 24th, St. Lawrence University welcomed the newest class to campus. After moving in and setting up numerous box fans, comforters, and wall posters, the first-years and their families made their way to Newell Field House for matriculation. Once the new class had officially joined the Laurentian community, orientation began.  

At first, there were the classic, awkward get-to-know-you activities as everyone met new classmates, Orientation Leaders (OLs), and Community Assistants (CAs) that they will be spending a lot of the next four days with. This year’s class had the usual lineup of orientation meetings like Campus Safety 101, sex norms class, and Health and Wellness. The first-years also attended a picnic with President Morris, and competed for the First-Year Cup before the famous campus-wide Adirondack Dinner. However, with an extra day of orientation added to this year’s agenda, freshmen were able to participate in some unique activities and get off-campus to explore the greater community.  

Monday night, a hypnotist came to enlighten the first-years about the dangers of alcohol. One freshman in attendance said their peers were “chugging water and doing silly things to try and sober up, but in reality they were sober. [The hypnotist] said it’s to show what happens when you get super drunk and can’t help yourself.” First-year reviews of the hypnotist were all positive, since the show was a fun way of presenting a serious topic.  

Another new addition to this year’s orientation were the off-campus activities. The freshman ranked their top choices and were assigned a group to explore different aspects that Canton and the north country have to offer. Some of the activities included apple picking at Applewood Orchards, exploring the farm at Cornell Cooperative Extension, and exploring along the river at Stone Valley. There was also a high ropes course, hike up Azure Mountain, seeing wildlife exhibits at the Tupper Lake Wild Center, and a boat tour along the St. Lawrence River with some time to explore a castle in the Thousand Islands, and more.  

The new orientation activities were well-received among freshmen students. First-year Garen Steiner said that her favorite part of orientation was the hike up Azure mountain. “It was a blast to get to know the Adirondacks and meet new people in the process!” she said.  

First-year Maeve O’Brien also enjoyed her off-campus activity. “My backyard adventure was so fun!” she said. “We went to the Wild Center which had some inside wildlife exhibits and some outdoor walking trails.”  

As with most orientations, the first-years had some qualms in regard to the number of meetings and length of the activities. New student Lindsey Johansen ’28 said she enjoyed her trip to the Thousand Islands but “orientation was just a bit long and I felt we learned the same thing in every lecture we did.”  The amount of information that OLs and CAs work into the four days orientation before classes get started leads to long days for the new students. 

There have also been grumblings about the additional orientation meetings lasting into the second week of school. Maura Taberski said that her class has “been here for almost a week and a half.” Although she enjoyed her apple picking adventure, she now feels that the extended meetings are repetitive as the class has already learned about many topics and experienced the culture of St. Lawrence.  

However, overall reviews from the new class of 2028 have been positive. Everyone enjoyed the fun additions to orientation this year, especially the off-campus opportunities. The freshman seem ready to take on college armed with knowledge, chants from OLs, and unlimited Dana swipes.