La Porte d’Entree, or The Front Door, was the first thing incoming freshmen experienced when they attended Nicholls’ first Freshman Institute on Aug. 18.Freshman Institute was required only for those who are enrolled in UNIV. 101. This includes those who have failed the class or have not taken it yet even though they may not be incoming freshmen. If the student did not attend the Institute it was considered his or her first absence for the semester.
Freshman Institute was originally the idea of Marlene Shaffer, university studies instructor, according to Carol Blanchard, assistant dean of University College. Blanchard took the idea and organized it.
“We did it because we wanted to get the freshmen here before everybody else came on campus. We wanted to make things easier for them,” Blanchard said. “We wanted the front door, the front end of their college career, to look like the back end of their college career.”
Freshman Institute was formed to help students with advising as well. The student’s UNIV. 101 instructor is also the student’s adviser. This was done to make sure the student and the adviser are in contact. Each UNIV. 101 class is divided by major. A liaison from the students’ future college will also be making visits to the class a few times during the semester to connect the time from which students leave University College to the time they enter their college of study, Blanchard said. The liaison takes charge of the advising.
“We’re going to be making sure of the contact with the students,” Blanchard said. “(The student) won’t happen to ‘maybe’ make an appointment to see his or her adviser because the adviser is his or her instructor for UNIV.”
After these students take their UNIV. course in the fall, the students’ instructors will stay in touch with them in the spring. The advising will not end at the conclusion of the course. In the students’ third semester, if they have not entered their college, the advising center will be in touch with them.
“We’re trying to make sure that everyone is taken care of. We’re hoping to give students a sense of belonging and that they made the right choice,” Blanchard said.
Informing freshmen of GPAs and what classes to take during their college careers are also things for which the institute was created.
“We want the students to know upfront what will be required of them and not to be surprised along the way,” Blanchard said. “We just want to make sure they have as much information that we could possibly give them about the major they’ve chosen. We worked hard with the reorganization of University College to make the transition from high school to college as easy, as painless and as smooth as possible.”
This will not affect current students who are not in University College. Although, those students who are maybe switching majors and need help are more than welcome to go to the advising center for help, Blanchard said. “It’s a university-wide center. We are not limited to just first-time freshmen.”
At the Institute, students were introduced to the deans and met with their advisers and faculty and department heads. The students then met with their UNIV. 101 class, and a departmental meeting with the students was held. Special sessions were held for programs such as athletics and the honors program.
“Everybody got familiar with everything. I learned a lot today,” Megan Burgess, freshman from Morgan City, said. “I think the University should keep the Freshman Institute because (students) can meet people, learn their way around and other helpful things.”
“It’s a good way to get everyone used to the campus,” Pierce Pitre, freshman from Golden Meadow, said. “It helped me to get a little situated. I got to meet some new people who can help me out.
