This period of online learning and social distancing has presented a new opportunity for community building for Elon's student orientation leaders.
As students spend the second semester of their 2019-20 academic year studying from home, it can be nice to hear from a friendly voice that knows exactly what you’re going through.
鈥淚t helps to assess the situation from their shoes when you鈥檙e literally in their shoes with them,” said Miles Caraballo ’22, a music education major and orientation leader at Elon.
Orientation leaders like Caraballo are some of the first people first-year and transfer students meet when they arrive at Elon on Move-In Day. After leading students through the orientation process, the mentors spend the rest of the year making sure each new student is adjusting to the campus community by hosting events or simply checking in throughout the following months.
This semester, orientation leaders have had their training put to the test as students, faculty and staff have transitioned to online learning procedures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Over the past few weeks, instead of meeting in person with their students, orientation leaders have found ways to stay connected virtually.
Some have played virtual games, hosted virtual Netflix parties, and found other ways to keep students engaged in the university community. For international business major聽Taylor de Castro 鈥22, keeping in touch was as simple as creating a group text chat with students to share cute dog photos.
鈥淲e understand their situation better since we鈥檙e going through it ourselves, and it helps us be more understanding and empathetic of the situation as a whole,” de Castro said.
Caraballo has hosted video conferences with the students in his orientation group. 鈥淓ven though we鈥檙e not there with them right now, I can still stay connected through texts, video chats or FaceTime just to still be able to give a listening ear for them,” he said.
Situations like this, although unprecedented, are exactly why orientation leaders are such an important part of the student experience at Elon. They work with first-year and transfer students throughout the year to make sure their transition to campus is as smooth as possible, even if “campus” is back in their hometowns for a few months.
鈥淭ransitions are mitigated and eased by the social connections that we have and the positive role models that we have who have gone through it before us,” said Director of New Student and Transitions Programs Emily Krechel. “Connecting with them provides a sense of ease and a sense of connectedness that helps us build a resolve of our human spirit to survive a crisis or to survive an upheaval of our normal lives.”
Krechel says the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent social distancing procedures, came at a time when many new students were just finding their communities at Elon. So reconnecting with their orientation groups virtually can give them a sense of grounding and an opportunity for community building.
As the campus continues to navigate these uncertain times, orientation leaders will play an important role in helping Elon move forward. It’s a role that will include making sure each student knows 鈥 no matter the social distance 鈥 no one is alone in the Elon community.
鈥淭his situation has really encouraged me to make an even larger effort in the future to make more contact with the students and really establish these relationships so they know that I鈥檓 not just here because I鈥檓 in a position that tells me I should be here, but I鈥檓 here because I want to be here and want to help them and be their friend,” de Castro said.