A&M returns to in-person orientation
TEXARKANA, Texas — Texas A&M University-Texarkana will transition back to in-person student orientation this summer, after holding virtual orientation sessions last summer due to COVID-19.
Michael Stephenson, assistant director of student life, said this is huge for firstyear student engagement and confidence.
“The biggest challenge with virtual orientation last year was student engagement, with our orientation leaders and getting excited about coming to campus,”
Stephenson said. “It’s really tough to show off campus and break off into small groups where students meet one another when everything is virtual. So being in-person is really going to help us with getting our students excited about coming to TAMU-T, meeting one another and sharing the excitement with what’s to come.”
It process will look a bit different, with one-day sessions and no overnight experience due to capacity issues on campus and trying to maintain social distance. But that relationship-building and connection-growing ability through physical presence will be back for new students.
“Our goal with students attending orientation is to make them feel more confident about attending school in the fall,” Stephenson said. “Many of our students come from out of town, and even our local students are starting a new environment that’s very different from high school.
“Research shows us that after a student completes orientation, 100% feel more confident about starting classes in the fall. And 100% of our guests and parents feel more confident about sending their student to our campus. So, being in-person is really going to help build that foundation and allow students those interpersonal connections and relationships that we struggle with doing virtually.”
TC, UAHT
Other local colleges like the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana and Texarkana College are also altering the way they conduct orientation, but in different ways.
UAHT held very small in-person orientation activities last year, with around
15-20 students at a time present, and they will be increasing that to anywhere from 50-100 students this year. TC is planning to do orientation virtually with an enhanced platform for students.
“Many of our students want the convenience of completing orientation on demand because of work and other conflicts,” Director of Admissions Lee Williams, III said.
The first of TAMU-T’s eight orientation sessions begins on Tuesday, while UAHT will hold sessions on its Hope and Texarkana campuses in August for the Fall semester. TC will start orientation on Aug. 16.