Registration under way for EMCC orientation sessions

East Mississippi Community College’s once-voluntary JourneyEAST orientation sessions will now be required for many incoming students.

“Our hope is that a lot of the questions students would have the first two or three weeks of classes will already be answered before they even get here,” EMCC Associate Dean of Instruction William Sansing said.

The college is offering JourneyEAST sessions in June and July at both the Golden Triangle and Scooba campuses. Students who are in one of the following categories and plan to take classes in the fall will need to register for one of the orientation sessions:

◆ First Time – Full Time: Any new EMCC student who has no prior college credit or who has previously been dual-enrolled.

◆ Transfer Student: Any student who has prior college credit and intends to enroll full time.

◆ Returning: Former EMCC student who has been out of college for five years or longer.

Current students, those who have attended EMCC within the past five years, part-time students, dual-enrolled students and those who are taking classes at EMCC while attending another educational institution are not required to attend a JourneyEAST orientation session.

Orientation sessions at the Golden Triangle campus will be offered June 2, June 16, July 7 and July 21 during a morning session from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and an afternoon session from 12:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Students need only attend one session. A third orientation session will be available on June 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Orientation sessions at the Scooba campus will be offered June 9, June 23, July 14, and July 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and again from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. A third orientation will be offered the day of June 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Students can register for JourneyEAST on the EMCC website at www.eastms.edu. Click on the box titled “Reserve your spot for JourneyEAST Orientation now.”

These orientation sessions will include a campus tour, scholarship and financial aid information and tips on how to navigate the college’s student web portal and set up a student email address. Parents are encouraged to attend.

The cost to attend JourneyEAST is $15 for students and $5 per parent. Lunch is provided at no additional cost. Students also receive a free Tshirt.

Not all JourneyEAST orientation sessions are the same. Orientation sessions for Manufacturing Technology & Engineering Division students will differ from those for students in academic and career technical programs. Students fully accepted into one of the nursing programs will attend an orientation session specific to their field of study.

Also new this year, each incoming freshman in the academic and career technical programs will be assigned an advisor, who will work with that student throughout the school year.

“It used to be that students walked into the counseling center and spoke with whichever advisor was available,” EMCC Student Success Coordinator Laura Damm said. “Now, students will have a specific advisor assigned to them and will build a relationship with that person over time. The students will not have to explain who they are and what their needs are every time they go into the counseling center.”

The impetus for the changes is to better serve students, EMCC Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement Leia Hill said.

“We want to provide each student personal attention and timely advising, which will help these students have a more successful college experience,” Hill said.