The department of New Student Initiatives focuses on assuring student success academically, socially and emotionally during their first year of college in order to increase retention, and one of the primary ways of accomplishing this is through the Summer Orientation sessions.

Orientation sessions are usually two days, with the students spending the night in the Nevada Living Learning Community, while a couple sessions are condensed into a single day. Because single-day sessions require less resources and space, 2016 could possibly see more of the shorter sessions to accommodate an ever-increasing student population.

"I was honestly more anxious about the idea of college before I came here," Jennifer Sanchez said while attending a session this summer. "This has me a lot more pumped-up than I thought I'd be."

Everyone attending orientation meets in the Joe Crowley Student Union's Glick Ballroom after students check in and pick up their campus identification card. Even though many students arrive with their parents, they spend most of the orientation apart, with parents going to workshops that provide information on how to help their child be successful in college, while students participate in activities and workshops catered towards prepping them for their time at the University. Many incoming students are unaware of the new responsibilities college students might face, and orientation sessions aim to prepare them.

"I think it's an eye-opener for young people, like my son," Michael Eusebio, a parent of one of the students at orientation, said. "We got here and found that he didn't bring a sleeping bag even though it was clearly indicated that you need to bring one. I think this experience forces them to become a little more responsible."

"You know, like anything, if you seed correctly it will run a lot better than if you don't do it correctly out the shoot," Eusebio said. "If you don't go through the process of breaking-in a motor, or ‘seeding' the motor, then you're likely to have problems later on."

After attending the welcoming event in the ballroom, parents remain in the student union, going from room-to-room, learning how they can help with their child's academic career, while the students are assigned to small groups with whom they participate in bonding activities outside on the grass. Students are randomly assigned to the small groups to help them make new acquaintances, rather than just sticking with people they already know.

They tend to stay with these groups for a majority of the orientation, and by the end of their session, they have a sense of attachment to their orientation guide, to the point of connecting with them through social media and possibly during their first school semester.

"Orientation guides serve as a resource to the students in being a familiar face at the beginning of the year," Taylor Sawyer, a first-year guide, said. "I get to be the face of Nevada and help incoming freshmen get as excited about this school as I am by introducing them to the campus itself, the various resources on campus, and by answering any questions they may have about their first year of college."

Students are given opportunities to integrate with the campus as they learn what it means to attend the University. They learn about the history of the school, and gain a sense of pride as they learn The Nevada Fight Song, the Alma Mater and "The Law of the Jungle," a student-led chant recited at athletic events. They find out many of the aspects that gave the University its Tier 1 ranking by the U.S. News & World Report, and they learn about its NCAA Division 1 athletics program and 58 percent increase in baccalaureate degrees awarded throughout the past decade.

"The orientation program is designed to provide incoming students with a great deal of information and resources to be successful in college through our small groups, general sessions, workshops, academic advising and socializing," orientation guide Jacob Boult said.

Retention through Integration

According to an article by the College Board, retention research highlights the importance of orientation programs as a way to maintain or increase student persistence because it helps students integrate into the institution.

"I've become more excited and motivated about school because, instead of imagining myself in the position of a college student, I was able to actually put myself in that position," Sanchez said. "Experiencing it as opposed to imagining it is a completely different thing. I could not be more grateful for this opportunity."

As many of the orientation guides explain, incoming students seem understandably nervous on the first day of orientation, but by the end, they become more comfortable and begin to recognize the University as less intimidating and more like home. Guides said some students even leave orientation saying they are excited for their summer vacation to end and school to begin.

"I believe this change is caused by the excitement and freedom they experience at orientation," Dalton Mack, a current orientation leadership intern who has been with the program for the past three years, said. "When incoming freshmen attend orientation, they get their first taste of college and what it's going to be like to be on their own. With these experiences comes the excitement of starting a new chapter in their life."

Oftentimes, students are moving out from under their parent's direct care when they begin higher education,

"Students have to think about how and when to study, how and when to eat," Cairn Lindloff, assistant dean of students in the University's New Student Initiatives department, said. "We introduce them to time management. We want to help them become self-focused, self-responsible and provide them the correct resources to assist with the adjustment to self-sufficiency."

As stated by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State, anxiety and depression, in that order, are now the most common mental health diagnoses among college students.

"College is a full-time job," Lindloff said. "They're taking 15 units, which means 45 hours with homework, then you add all the other things in - new friend groups, community and leadership opportunities, social life, and even a job. We want to help them with mental wellness as well by helping prepare them for what is in store."

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit verification and research organization, institutions in spring 2015 experienced a 1.9 percent decrease in overall postsecondary enrollments from the previous spring, even though sources such as the New York Times and the Institute of Education Sciences highlighted the massive pay difference between college graduates and those who attend some or no college and how that pay-gap keeps widening.

Retention rates, though, have improved. Possibly due to such efforts as the Summer Orientation sessions, with the ever-evolving methods meant to begin fostering a bonding students and school. And the University defies this national trend of decreasing enrollment, with its 18 percent growth in population from fall 2008 and an increase in retention rate from 76 percent in fall 2008 to 82 percent in fall 2014.

"Orientation has helped me feel way more comfortable," Keiyana Black said on her second day as a student in orientation. "I was very terrified to come before, because I'm a first-generation student. But I'm getting more relaxed now that I know what to expect and it's not as intimidating."

Orientation guides act as cheerleaders and mentors, tour guides and counselors, strict informants and best-buddies. They have the task of continually meeting and bonding with a constant influx of new students, all while keeping a big smile and positive attitude.

"Our staff is the heart and soul of the program, whether they are leading small groups, discussions, panels or presentations, they help incoming students adjust to new surroundings, expectations and responsibilities," Lindloff said.

The Orientation Effect

During a previous year's orientation, Orientation Guide Michelle Vernier scanned the University's Downunder Café, crowded with incoming students eating dinner, many with new friends they had made during their first day of summer orientation at the University. As a guide, Vernier strived to help students feel comfortable, so when she saw a girl sitting at a table by herself, she took a seat next to her.

Vernier answered the girl's questions about the University the best she could, and in topics she was less familiar with, she gave contact information and directions to other campus locations. The campus is vast - not only in size, with 255 acres, but also in the amount of departments and resources; Vernier was not sure how helpful she had been.

After dinner, they parted ways and the girl thanked her. Vernier did not see the girl the rest of the evening or the following school year. But a year later, as she attended an interview for potential orientation guides, she saw the very same girl she had helped.

Vernier said she was surprised when the girl explained the reason she wanted to become an orientation guide. Not only had Vernier made her feel comfortable about attending the University, but she had motivated her to want to become a summer orientation guide.

"Thinking back, I left the conversation thinking I ruined her day," Vernier said. "It can be so overwhelming. But to find out later that I had made such an impact on her put my entire experience into perspective. I have realized how much of an influence I may have had on the people I worked with during orientation and how important my job is at connecting students with our school."

Many guides have similar stories.

"As an orientation guide, my priority is to ensure that all new students feel welcome, at ease and excited to be a part of their new home," Boult said. "Whether it be introducing myself to students, leading tours, giving advice on how to navigate the collegiate level of academics, or sharing my experiences on the best ways to get engaged with the campus; my words, actions and duties all fall under one overarching mission, to create a fantastic first experience for our new family members of the Wolf Pack."