Andrew Greenwald

Orientation

Summer Orientation has begun in full swing and we are now halfway through already! As part of the Office Staff this year, I really get to see everything happen from "behind the scenes." It's really different than being an Orientation Leader like I was the past two years, but still fun nonetheless. 

The Office staff has done all that we could do making our calls to the incoming new students and transfer students. Now, we just interact with everyone and make sure they all have a great time at Orientation like they should. I don't think the students and families know what to expect when they get to a Pace University Orientation. People usually assume that orientation will be quick, boring, and pointless. At Pace, that's a totally different story. We give them an experience to remember. What other school do you go to that you get to go on a boat cruise around the hudson river, viewing the entire Manhattan skyline!? You get unlimited food, believe me, we don't let you go hungry, and you even get performers from hit TV shows (Justin Willman!) The students and families leave in shock and excitement for what else is to come. And if they don't, then we did not do our job right. 

Right after the first Orientation session, we received a package in the mail from a family that attended from Dubai. We opened it up and there were Thank You cards, a box of chocolates, and a bouquet of Roses! That made our summer that we impacted that family so much, and made us even more excited about Week 2. 

Take a look at this picture. Caity (our boss lady), Me, and Tarah (another Office Staff member). Just look at the skyline behind us! The Empire State Building!

...SOAR through the summer...

It is that time of year again, when we all start to prepare for the next incoming class to coming to Pace. I have had the pleasure of working with the Summer Orientation for the past two summers as both an Orientation Leader in the summer of 2009 and then Senior Orientation Leader for New Student Program in the summer of 2010. This summer I am taking more of a backseat role working with the back office staff.

I have a really soft spot regarding Orientation. The funny thing is…when I came to Pace at my Orientation…I hated it. I was the person that did not want to stay overnight, was not very outgoing, and wanted it to be just a one day orientation instead of the three days. Little did I know, that I would end up having some fun and look back and wish I would have let loose more.

The next summer I was an Orientation Leader and I had to really sell, not only orientation, but Pace as well. But the difference this time was that I fell in love with Pace. Now I look back at my two summers of being an Orientation Leader and they have been the best summers of my life. I have made a family. Students coming to Pace really get the best of what Pace has to offer. The boat cruise around the Hudson River, all of the entertainment, and lastly the Orientation Leaders. The OL’s have training for over a month to prepare for the new students and really become a family. Students really should be excited to come to Orientation, but if they are not just like I was, the OL’s really know how to make them feel comfortable.

This year I am playing a different role, but still a part of making Orientation possible. The phones are already ringing off the hook with students and parents calling with registration questions. I am ready and exciting to answer every single question and make sure that they have the best time at orientation. It is the time to SOAR (Student Orientation Advisement and Retention) into the summer

"we put the STUD in student programming"

 That is the motto that I used within my Programming Committee this year. It was my final semester as the Vice President of Programming for the Student Association, where I get to plan events and programs for the entire student body. This being my second year, I really tried to ‘outdo’ even myself so that I will know that I did my best for the students in the time that I served. Now that the year is over, I can now easily say that I could not have gotten through the year without my Programming Committee. They have been the best committee that I have ever seen throughout my time at Pace. Anything that needed to be done (whether it be driving from the Bronx to Stamford, CT 2 times in one day for an event we had, or putting up with my crazy antics on the day of an event), they were there throughout it all, without complaints.

I look back at the past two years and I can’t help but to be a little proud of myself. A little selfish, yes, but I started out at a young age. I ran for my first time in office as a freshman and got voted into the position. I loved what I got to do with the position so much, and it opened my eyes to the field of Student Affairs as a profession, so I ran again my sophomore year and won. With my committee’s help I was able to ‘go out with a bang.’ In the spring 2011 semester alone, we have done a few huge programs, which most were a part of our Spring Fling Week of programming.

We hosted ‘Style Your Sole: TOMS Shoes’ and raised over $1,000 for our philanthropy, the Millennium Development Goals, and with TOMS Shoes partnership, donated over 100 pairs of shoes to children in need. Our biggest event of the year was the Spring 2011 Concert with J.COLE and Travie McCoy. We even had Pace students perform on stage with their group, All World Music, and had student Ian Pershad DJ the show. We had a great turnout and raised approximately $8,000 for the DJ Henry Memorial Fund. It was a lot of hard work, but the committee and I really had fun with the whole event (and even got the staff shirts with our favorite motto on it). Our last event we put on was the end of the year Pace Pride Awards. We transformed our old gymnasium into a luxurious lounge. We even shocked ourselves on how good it looked.

I am really going to miss being a part of the Student Association executive board. I have loved what I have been able to do for Pace and my fellow students, and am thankful for what they have done for me.