Welcome Bash and PEEC Retreat!

Hi Everyone!!

Hope your Thanksgiving break was great and that your week back is going well! We have finalized the date for the New Student Orientation Welcome Bash for Friday, December 9th from 4pm-6pm. It will be held in the back half the the BCC's Multipurpose Room. Please enter the MPR through the doors closest to the food court and exit doors of the building.

We hope to see you there to eat and have some fun! The get-together will be a nice way for everyone to get to meet each other before the retreat on January 20th-22nd.

Also the retreat will be held at PEEC in the Poconos! Here is the link of the site if you would like to take a look at it: http://www.peec.org/.

While at retreat, you may want to bring a few things with you such as a sleeping bag or twin sheets, a pillow, shower flip flops, and anything else that you think you might need while away for the weekend.

As new staff members we know that you all are anxious and excited to be part of the NSO program and probably have some questions that you want to ask. We are fortunate this year that we have fourteen returner staff members who will have the opportunity to answer those questions during our retreat. So we ask that everyone comes to the Welcome Bash with a question that they would like to have answered at PEEC!

Have a nice week!!

upcoming info sessions for staff

We will have two information sessions as the summer wraps up and our time together comes to an end. The first...

Wednesday August 3rd* at 11:30AM

So you want to be a professional OL: Pursuing Student Affairs as a career path

Have you ever worked an orientation session or attended a training and thought, "This must be a pretty cool job to do full time"? It is! Almost all of the NSO graduate staff members are getting their masters in student affairs in higher education, and all the professional staff that work for Student Life have chosen student affairs as a career path. It isn't something you can "major in" as an undergraduate student, so hundreds enter the field because they had a really good experience as a student leader and a mentor or supervisor advised them on how to pursue student affairs as a career. 

Many of our staff members have identified and interest or curiousity in student affairs, so we will be holding an informational session for those interested. We will cover...

• The ideal timeline to consider when applying to graduate schools
• Websites to check out to find out more information and to find out about graduate programs in the area and around the nation
• "Nuts and Bolts" information about the graduate school application process including information on how to get your graduate school paid for
• Experiences or internships to consider as an undergraduate for those that are serious about pursuing graduate school
• The graduate staff will be there to answer any questions about their experiences

*This date has changed to 8/3, it was originally announced as scheduled for 7/27 and has moved to 8/3


And the second....

 

Wednesday August 10th 11am

Are you ready for ROUND 2?: Returning to NSO 

With such a young staff we hope to see plenty of returners in our 2012 student staff. Returning staff members are invaluable to our program. We will cover...

• Changes to the staff experience ("in the works" for 2012)
• Returner Job Descriptions
• OTL Job Descriptions
• Time committment

...and we will answer any questions you have about retunring to staff. Our hope is to have applications available at this info session.

A BIG THUMBS UP TO THE OLs!!!

The surveys that students have been filling out about the orientation program are coming back in big numbers for our June orientation programs, and the OLs are by far the best part of the program for our incoming students.

98% of students agree or agree that their OL was knowledgeable about the university

99% of students agree or agree that their OL was a helpful resource

98% of students agree or agree that their OL was effective in making them feel more comfortable as a new student at Rutgers

This is tremendous!!! It says so much about our Orientation Leaders and the impact they are making on the incoming students. In every interview we did when selecting this staff, they mentioned doing this job to make a difference and help first year students. Mission accomplished...thus far. Keep it up everyone! And if you ever need a reminder, we have posted comments from the incoming students on Courtney's door. Stop by and check it out:)

Office Theme Revamping Extravaganza Contest!

To our beautiful Orientation Leaders...we would like to extend the invitation to a competition of the worthy elite. It seems that Alyssa LaPatriello and Nina Duong has stumbled upon a predicament: They will be inheriting a humble abode within the Livingston Student Center this upcoming Fall semester. You see...Duchess Kristin and Duke Courtney, ruler of the Student Center of Livingston-ston, are placing their excess estate into the hands of their newfound Lord and Lady (Alyssa and Nina). The Lord and Lady would like suggestions as to which theme the office shall be decorated since their previous interior decorator was sent to the guillotine on College Ave.

Please respond to this post with your most brilliant office decoration idea, and a cordial invitation will be extended to the winner to receive a feast amongst the royals. The winner will also be knighted like a true Scarlet Knight.

Multiple submissions will be accepted. No purchase necessary. Batteries not included.

We bid adieu,

Lady Alyssa and Lord Nina
Kingdom of College Student Affairs Extraordinaire

Team Points

Howdy, y'all

First, a little bit of Kermie.

Click here to check out the team points! You'll have to login, sorry.

http://runso.net/staff/index2.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=37

*(PS, Grads could login with username grad with the Twitter password)

new penguin!!

CONGRATS TYLER D. FOR INSPIRING ALL OF US, AND WINNING THE NSO PENGUIN MEDALLION!!

 

Harry Potter...IT ALL ENDS

Hello all my wirzards,

Some if not all you have express interest in going to see Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2 as a group. So here is what we are going to do...Regal Cinema 18 on Hwy 1 South will be showing at 10:10pm on Friday July 15. Buy your tickets now.

THEN...comment on this blog that you have brought your tickets so we can all know who is going...

You don't want to miss out on this fun adventure with the NSO family. Even if you are not a fan of the movies you should come.

Ok I am done.

two more penguins to recognize!!

Jhon received the penguin at Thursday's morning meeting. Congrats Jhon!!

Michelle received the penguin at today's debrief (to wear during the EOF session this weekend). Great Job Michelle!!!

Congrats Jhon and Michelle!

Follow Us on Twitter.....

...And you will find.

Information

Excitement

#hashtags

Fun Facts

Updates

Memories

AND Inspiration!!!

Follow us @RutgersNSO

this session's penguin medallion goes to...

The Power of Team

The flightless fairy penguin of Australia stands less than a foot tall and is clumsy on land, where the fox is its natural enemy. Alone, one penguin wouldn't survive for long. So, after each day in the water, they gather where the surf meets the shore, waiting until the last penguin joins them. Then shoulder to shoulder they march up the beach to their burrows. They support each other. They rely on each other. And everyone, except the fox, wins.

We're a stronger team because of you. 

Congrats to Tyler Piccone!! He received the penguin medallion this morning for his hard work, dedication, and ability to take initiative....while keeping all of us smiling with his beautiful voice!

work hard play hard

There is a book, "Workspace to Playspace", dedicated to exploring different companies that have championed the work hard play hard philosophy. Essentially the author believes that in a "Playspace" work environment people feel more comfortable with their coworkers and it has an impact on the overall work environment. More work gets done, and there is a much more supportive environment in which to try new things and risk failure. In New Student Orientation we try to create a "Playspace".

Because if you don't love what you do people will notice, and there is nothing better than interacting with someone that absolutely loves what they do.

Tour Training!!

Hey all!!

A big thanks to everyone for offering your ideas and engaging in the first part of tour training :) Just a couple of reminders for tomorrow in case you forget....

Busch tour guides will meet in BCC 116 w/ Marcus, Catrina, and Nikki
College Ave tour guides will meet in RSC 411 w/ Kristin, Adam, and Alyssa
Cook/Douglass tour guides will meet in CCC 111 w/ Courtney, Roderick, and Jack

Everyone starts at 8:30 AM!! Please make sure that you wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, shoes you are comfortable in, and whatever else you may need for hot weather. You are also going to need to bring something to write with and extra paper if you need it, because you should be taking notes about what the people at each location tell you. And finally, don't forget water bottles!

GET PUMPED!! Let's navigate the banks!!



Snooks out :)

intensive training week 2- the schedule

Our training schedule is posted above. You can print it and download it, just by clicking on the appropriate buttons in the box above.

Think Big: Challenging the "Norms"

Hey Y'all!!!

These past few weeks have been amazing. I have had the opportunity to meet so many diverse and exciting people. Courtney and Kristin are very empowering and incredible. I have seen things that I only imagined seeing in the past. As a good ole' southern boy, I have always imagined visiting New York City. And the fact that I had the opportunity to actually go and experience all the different activities blows my mind. Even visiting St. Peter's Hospital provided me with an unique outlook on the other side of a hospital--thru the eyes of the men and women who work in security. This experience has challenged me to think outside the box and be innovative. I believe, as Orientation Leaders, you are the pioneers for the incoming students at Rutgers. You can make or break their experience. So, it's important to stay positive and to do that, you have to be happy with yourself.

With that being said, I challenge each of you to create and make this summer what you want it to be. I recently made a list of 25 things I want to do before I turn 25. Here is why:

If I had a dime for every time someone said, "Life is too short," I would probably be a millionaire. No matter if you hate the phrase or live your life by it. The truth is--> life is quick. Our society has created these checkpoints along the road we call life. Graduate from high school, attend an university, find a career, get married, have kids, send them to school, ....and then you die. I am a strong believer that God has created the world for us to explore, learn, create, and develop relationships that express His love for us.

My list has two purposes. First, I wanted to take the road less traveled. I hate when things are laid out for me, and I am told that I have to do exactly what is told of me. Social norms date back as far as history goes. Conflict theory is defined as the sociological perspective that focuses on tension, competition, and division in society (Bankston). Bascially, the list is designed to change the "norms" that my life has portrayed about me thus far. I want to do things that I would not normally do and create an environment that I am not be comfortable with. Secondly, many leaders of our society have done things that people told them they could never do. Martin Luther King, Jr. , Gandhi, Mother Tersea, President Obama, and even Michael Jackson, all of these figures (icons) were told they could not accomplish the impossbile, but through the Grace of God they were able to prove society wrong.

Be extraordinary. Be innovative. Be yourself. Make this summer count.

Rod

innovation: the "i" in PRIDE

 

Being innovative can help keep things fresh and new as the summer goes on and the training gets intensive.  Every orientation is new to every first year therefore we have to make every orientation new for us as well. Innovation can make each session special to first years and less repetitive for us. By adding some creative flair and new zing to each session we can keep new student orientation fresh for everyone involved.

Innovation builds on past events and experiences and allows for new perspectives and ways of seeing the world around you.  It requires mastery of existing programs, processes and systems in order to see new possibilities and breakthroughs.  Innovation combines creativity and discipline to create exciting new possibilities.

While working with the NSO this summer you should identify new opportunities for improvement and fun every week.  We’ll go over these at the debrief sessions and try to implement something new, or a couple new twists on something that works well every new session.

Erica and Jack

timing and details for intensive training week 1



The following is an outline of some details for training week 1...

Tuesday: Arrive at MPR for your big team challenge at 8:25am, don't be late! We will go all day until 6pm, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served.

Wednesday: Arrive at MPR for your big team challenge at 8:25am, don't be late! We will go all day until about 6:30/7pm, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served.

Thursday: Tour guide training! Report to your campus by 8:30am, and finish up by 6pm.

Friday: APA day on Busch, report to BCC at 7:30AM and finish up around 4pm.

PRIDE: Developmental

P-R-I-DEVELOPMENTAL-E

Being developmental means being committed to the growth of our students. It also means that, as a team, we need to be looking at our development as a collective, as well as our development as individual parts of that collective. In order for our students to get the best experience and grow to their full potential, we need to ensure that our staff is as strong as possible and that we're continually growing as well.

During this past week's training for the NSO OTLs and grads, we've seen development on several levels within our own group, as well as other groups outside of Rutgers. A good example of the developmental process took place when we visited the "All Hands on Tech!" off-Broadway workshop. During this time, we came together as a group to put on a mini play, and man-oh-man, there's a lot that went into it! At face value, you'd think that we had to master only our own roles (i.e. being a performer, director, set designer, light crew member, etc.). However, in order to effectively put on our show, it was absolutely necessary that we communicated with one another and had a full understanding of each individual role. We ran through it multiple times, learning from our mistakes with each practice, which is one of the most crucial parts in taking on a developmental approach.

Another strong example of this developmental approach surfaced during our tour of St. Peter's Hospital with officials from the hospital's department of security. One of the officials stated that one challenge for the department is making sure that each of their security staff members is on the same page and working at optimal performance, since their department is in charge of maintaining safety throughout the hospital. He said that when someone slips up, it's important to give that person a chance to learn from his/her mistakes. We thought it was great to know that all around, people are committed to helping their staff members grow as strong as they can possibly be, which helps to provide the best experience for anyone, whether they be students, audience members, hospital patients, etc.

-- Adam Carlson, Nina Duong, and Greg Gerken J

PRIDE: Professional

The P of "PRIDE" is Professional. Professional can take on a variety of meanings and can be considered a chameleon of sorts with all the different ways we should utilize and exemplify being professional. Wherever you have a job, being professional is expected.

What does it mean for us right now as members of the NSO Team, you may ask? It means to lead by example, represent Rutgers University with "pride," practice good customer service, confidentiality, and support your teammates in all areas.

In NYC this week we had the opportunity to tour Radio City Music Hall with the most amazing tour guide, Joyce. Joyce represented RCMH so well, that we can not wait to go back. She made our tour fun, informative and exciting. She leads by example showing the other tour guides how to have fun at work but still get the job done. She also takes her job very seriously. Our tour had a bonus to it and we were able to view the stage for Cirque du Soleil's new show Zarkana. The show has not premiered yet so Joyce was very serious about us not taking any photographs while we were viewing the stage area. She asked politely and we knew from the tone of her voice photos would not be acceptable. Joyce was a telling example of what it means to be professional and have fun while doing it.

Professionalism is so important in our jobs to the simple things of answering the office phone and replying to email. And to the larger things like facilitating Team Meetings and interacting with students and parents. It is easy to make a mistake but we must try to remember though our days are long, hot and tiring we still are here to welcome the new students and their families to this amazing University.

Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!

~Nikki & Tyler

PRIDE: Evaluative

Hey all!

It is very important that we consider the PRIDE core values when doing our work at NSO. The E in PRIDE stands for "Evaluative." Evaluation is a key tool used for measuring progress or success. In almost every field, employers use evaluations with employees in order to assess situations and then create plans for improvement. Especially in orientation, we try to embody the idea that nothing is ever perfect, and there is always room to make things better. Key examples in our own field of work is how we try to debrief every aspect of training, APA days, two day orientation sessions, and more. These really help keep orientation moving and growing as a whole for the better, not just for the first year student experience, but also for the orientation leaders, OTLs, graduate staff, and pro staff.

Last week in NYC, we saw evaluation in many aspects of our training. Tony, one of the "Wicked" actors, described his experiences on Broadway. He explained how directors often come back to their sets after a show has been on for several months. When they return, they will run through different scenes, debrief with the cast, and rework things so that the entire production improves. This is a great example of being evaluative. At Radio City Music Hall, our tour guide described to us the method of how the dynamic stage operates. The system in place has been there since the 1930's! The engineers constantly check the system, but decide every time that it is still useful and efficient. When we go through the evaluation process, we may not always make changes. The important thing is that we engage in this process on a consistent basis.

Let's remember the importance of evaluation throughout the summer. We're looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow :)


-Catrina and Kayla

PRIDE: Resourceful

 
Dear Staff,

RESOURCEFUL

Being resourceful means relying on your surroundings which can include fellow staff members and past experiences. You want to make sure that you stay connected to your resources to utilize them in order to better benefit you in solving your problems.

This week, OTLs and grad staff had the opportunity to explore different fields that varied in technology, product and purpose. They accomplished different goals through diverse means yet they all made sure to use the resources at hand. For example, at St. Peter’s hospital during a snow storm that prevents surgeons or doctor from getting to the hospital, the security will work with other officials to help transport them. They also use empty cots to make sure their staff is rested even if the roads prevent them from returning home.

At New Student Orientation, resourcefulness will be key to interacting with new students, peers and others. We need to help first years learn the resources here at Rutgers and how to use them. We also need to make sure that we take advantage of them for ourselves to create the best possible program!

Thanks!
Roderick & Steph K.

Introduction to Core Values

Core Values are a standard way of thinking that an organization has that guides them in the work they do. These core values apply to how the people do their jobs, and the experience they want those they work with to have.

The Student Life department at Rutgers has developed core values for their day to day work, and is symbolized by the acronym PRIDE. This acronym stands for:

Professional

Resourceful

Innovative

Developmental

Evaluative

These standards took some time to develop. It involved many of the department leaders sitting back and looking at what the department does, and what they wanted to convey to students, staff, and faculty at the university. These specific values were chosen because it was felt that they represent the ideals that Student Life strives for, and they embody the development of the students and staff.

Over the summer, as Student Life staff members, we are expected to live by these core values, however we will also be exploring the creation of our own core values for NSO.

LGBTQ incoming students- let's make this a welcoming community

There’s been a lot going on at Rutgers this year regarding LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people on campus.  The campus community can be a very welcoming place, but prejudicial attitudes are still present and can lead to tragedy.  Also, as the average age of coming out has decreased dramatically over the past decade, some incoming freshman might be coming from environments where they felt rejected due to their gender identity or sexual orientation, or may be in the process of adjusting to a part of their identity that they’ve just started to share with other people. 

As an orientation leader, you want to make every incoming Scarlet Knight feel welcome and enthusiastic about starting here in the fall, but sometimes it’s difficult to know how to act or what to say.  Students or parents may have questions about university policies and events, or you could be dealing with uncomfortable situations that arise during orientation. 

During your intensive training, you’ll have a workshop providing you with information to help you approach LGBT issues when they arise over the summer.  We’ll talk about some basic concepts to help you understand the different ways LGBT people identify and why, as well as specific information about LGBT life at Rutgers. 

There are some articles on the training site that you should read as a foundation for this workshop.  (I know, I know, your brain is on break from school.  Don’t worry, they’re short and sweet.)

bring your old magazines to training

Hi everyone! We hope you had a great memorial day weekend. The leadership team joins the grads for training this week, and before you know it the whole staff will be back. If you have old magazines at home, please bring them back with you for the 6/13 training week. Thanks all!

A secret revealed!

Hey all!



I'm hanging out at the Livingston Student Center with the new NSO grads. They are super excited to meet the Leadership team and all of the OLs! You're really going to like them....



On another note, I came across a secret scroll in Courtney's office that had some important information on it. Shh! Don't tell her that I stole it! Here's what it says:

Start getting your costumes ready!

Remember Lady Gaga's motto,

"Changing the world one sequin at a time!"

Good day,

Col. Henry Rutgers

move in deets! leadership team edition

EXTRA EXTRA! Read all about your move in details right here!

Arrival at University Center

The entrance to the parking deck is at the back of University Center. If you are proceeding down Easton Avenue and across Somerset Street, you will turn right just before the train overpass onto Little Albany Street. The deck entrance will be around the corner on the right. If you are coming up Easton Avenue from Albany Street (Route 27), you cannot turn left onto Little Albany. You should turn left on Somerset Street and then left again onto Little Albany (by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital) and left into the parking deck. On the scheduled move-in day ONLY, we will arrange for the parking attendant to allow access to the deck for move-in. After that day, the vehicle must be registered in order to enter the parking deck. The entrance to the lobby is accessible from the third level of the parking deck. Residents may be dropped off in front of the building, however please be sure to adhere to all posted signs and parking regulations. Easton Avenue and Somerset Street are not under the University’s jurisdiction and are subject to the laws of the City of New Brunswick.

This weekend...leadership team moves in!

The conference services staff will be on call from 11am-midnight so that you're able to get your keys when you arrive at UC on Saturday or Sunday. They ask that you move in on Saturday or Sunday if possible. A conference services student will be on call all day Monday if someone needs to move in on Memorial Day. 


We start training at 9am on Tuesday!!! Who is excited???

Questions, comments?! Leave a comment below.

meet the new dream team...Alyssa and Nina!

Every two years the New Student Orientation office goes through a selection process for College Student Affairs graduate students to work in assistant-ships with Kristin and Courtney. The past two years we spent with Amanda Steeber who worked on projects like coordinating educational session assignments, the January transfer program and the resource fair among many other projects. Get to know the TWO new members of the NSO office. Alyssa will be working with Kristin primarily on preparations and implementing the summer orientation program. Nina will work with Courtney on coordinating training, assessment and selection of staff. Both will begin their assistant-ship this summer to work on some special projects and learn the ins and outs of NSO.

Meet Alyssa!

Undergraduate Degree from: Rutgers University  

Current Graduate School: Graduate School of Education           

Favorite TV Show: Modern Family

Favorite Book: The Harry Potter series          

Least favorite word: Screech   

Favorite Vacation: I can't pick just one: cruise to Bermuda or trip to Jamaica

Last concert you went to: Brand New           

Last movie you saw: Insidious  

Her message to our staff:

I look forward to meeting everyone. It's going to be a great summer!

*Nina had no idea about the color teams when she picked her photo for the blog, no calling favoritism people!! She will love you all!

Meet Nina!

Undergraduate Degree from: University of North Texas 

Current Graduate School: Rutgers University         

Favorite TV Show: How I Met Your Mother

Favorite Book: The Five People You Meet in Heaven        

Least favorite word: Can't         

Favorite Vacation: Thailand/Vietnam

Last concert you went to: Brandi Carlile       

Last movie you saw: Water for Elephants    

Her message to our staff:

As a typical Texan...Howdy! I look forward to meeting y'all! :)

another grad staff member...meet Jack!

Meet another wonderful members of the NSO 2011 grad staff team. Check out a little bit about what he will be up to this summer, and more about him below.

• Assist with the implementation of the Parents Orientation program

• Manage all aspects of the Resource Fair with professional staff

• Complete assessment of Parents program

• Organize all logistics of optional campus tours

• Finalize Scarlet Knight Days publication information

• Co-coordinate various Orientation staff morale events

• Attend and host evaluation meeting after every orientation session

• Various other tasks as assigned by professional staff

 

 

Meet Jack!

Undergraduate Degree from: Rutgers University  

Current Graduate School: Rutgers University --- School of Communication & Information          

Favorite TV Show: 30 Rock (all time fave is Arrested Development)

Favorite Book: The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck        

Least favorite word: I can't (yes it's a phrase, but you get the drift)     

Favorite Vacation: Wherever there's sand and water --- wait I'm living that now since I moved back to NJ!

Last concert you went to: The Ribeye Brothers      

Last movie you saw: The King's Speech         

His message to our staff:

Hi!

Meet the Grads: Our Second NODA Intern...Nikki Lynne!

Nikki and Roderick were both selected through the NODA internship selection and matching process. Nikki will be managing the following aspects of our program...

• Work with professional staff registration coordinator to manage all rosters and housing assignments
• Manage check in process
• Handle drop-ins/no shows
• Coordinate late check-in
• Facilitate the leave early process
• Manage the Orientation email account
• Facilitate We Are Rutgers program
• Assist professional staff with school based academic components
• Co-coordinate various Orientation staff morale events
• Attend and host evaluation meeting after every orientation session
• Various other tasks as assigned by professional staff

Looks like Nikki is our 79th staff member that loves Harry Potter...I think she'll find a few others that do too. Don't you? Find out a little more about Nikki below.

Meet Nikki Lynne!

Undergraduate Degree from: The Catholic University of America        

Current Graduate School: University of Maine       

Favorite TV Show: Dawson's Creek, Sex and the City, Glee, Downtown Abbey, & Gossip Girl

Favorite Book: Harry Potter Series, Gone with the Wind     

Favorite Vacation: Anywhere with a beach and warm weather!

Last concert you went to: Lady Gaga Monster Ball           

Last movie you saw: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1          

Her message to our staff:

Hi Everyone, I am very excited to be working at Rutgers this summer and getting to know each of you! I hope your finals finished well and you are going to take the next couple weeks to relax and get ready for NSO! One fun fact about me: I am a HUGE Philadelphia Phillies Phan! See you all soon, Nikki

what do hip hop, Broadway and the Heldrich all have in common?

What do hip hop, Broadway and the Heldrich all have in common? Well in some way shape or form they have found their way into our unique intensive training weeks for the different parts of our staff. We know what the OLs will be up to, but what about grads, leadership team and PCs? Find out with a look at some highlights below.

• Grad training is very much an orientation to the department of student life and a lot of networking and meeting the people that make orientation happen. Our grads will essentially learn the orientation program through interviewing the partners that contribute to it. They will also do a true colors workshop to get them up to speed with the rest of the staff that had true colors at retreat. Lastly they doing two pretty cool trainings that essentially "fell into our lap" as they were scheduled during grad training week. They will attend a social justice workshop called "hip hop pedagogy" with a well known author and speaker on social justice and the hip hop culture/community. In addition, they will attend a "presenting with video/multimedia" presentation through our HR department at RU.

• Leadership team comes the following week to join up with the graduate staff. This week is very much about building a cohesive leadership unit to lead our staff through the summer. Their training week will include a lot of projects they will work on to prep for the OL intensive training week. In addition they have two special experiential trainings. Since NSO is a lot like putting on a Broadway show, and they are a lot like the stage crew and directors of the Broadway show…we’re heading to Broadway! Our leadership team and grads will go to the Wicked rehearsal space to spend some time with stage crew and actors from the show. They will learn the ins and outs of logistically putting on a Broadway show. There next stop in NYC is a backstage tour of radio city music hall. Then (thanks to our friends at RU-TV) we were able to set up a back stage tour of NBC studios and Q&A with some crew members with NBC. We’ll finish the day with a “Top of the Rock” tour, which is a tour of the top of the Rockefeller center observatory. In addition to our stint in the big apple, this team will head to St. Peters Hospital for a half day behind the scenes look at the ER. This will give some perspective to making quick decisions under pressure and how to manage crisis.

· PC Training is probably one of the most unique types of trainings we do. The PC’s also have one of the most unique jobs with us for the summer. Not many other orientation offices at other universities hire student team members to manage the office and logistics like our PCs. This week will be chalked full of learning all the different rosters, checklists and name tag protocol that we have to prep for each session. In addition, it is important to equip our PCs with an extra dose of “customer service” training so they are comfortable handling just about any phone call they get. We have a special guest, the current front office manager at the Heldrich, which will be coming in to do a customer service/phone etiquette training with our PCs.



training...to be the best!

The concept of training can take many forms. Marathon runners do cross training, running and weight training to prepare for their 26 mile marathon run. They practice running in a variety of different conditions, use different trails, and change their workout as they get closer to the race. When new employees start in just about any job there is an "orientation" to building they work in, tools they use and people they work with. Orientation intensive training is kind of like this as well. For example, we teach the staff Team Meeting one and then throw new scenarios in the practice runs of it and give feedback on practice runs. So by the time you have to do Team Meeting one you are prepared for just about anything. 

OL intensive training will use varying forms of facilitation and presentation methods to teach the OLs each and every part of the two day program. Some parts of the program will be taught in 4 part rotations where the staff will rotate from location to location to learn a different part of the program. We call these “round-a-bouts”. Some other parts of the program are taught with simulations of the actual program component. The gameshow training will be a simulation of the actual gameshow. There are a few other topics that need more time than just a class in the spring, or need a facilitator that was unable to present in the spring. And so there are a few topics spliced into intensive, like sensitivity training, protocol and problem solving, as well as disability training.