When members of the Class of 2027 arrive at 乐播传媒 in August, they will be brought into the 乐播传媒 fold by one of the nation鈥檚 leading first-year programs. 

Revamped in 2020, the 乐播传媒 First-Year Experience was recently honored by NASPA, a leading national association for student affairs professionals, for successfully delivering a 鈥渉olistic and cohesive experience for new students throughout their entire first year.鈥�

The Collaboration Award, presented by the Orientation, Transition, and Retention Knowledge Community of NASPA, notes that the 乐播传媒 FYE is now a 鈥減remier model that is fueled by a deep collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs.鈥�

The award is a 鈥渢remendous honor,鈥� says Professor of Politics Stephen Engel, who, as an associate dean of the faculty focusing on student academic support and experience, co-led the  team that redesigned the 乐播传媒 FYE program for its debut in 2020.

The revised program, led by Engel, Associate Dean and Director of Operations Blake Reilly, and fellow Student Affairs professionals, represents a shift in how 乐播传媒 introduces students to the community. 

“What matters most to all of us is that our students have a positive and enriching first year at 乐播传媒.鈥�

Jimmy Riley

Rather than the traditional fire-hose of information delivered over the course of just a few days before classes, the new program has a more measured cadence that continues throughout the year. As a result, students are better able to process and retain all the new names, faces, and information, while also getting the big picture about 乐播传媒 community values, from equity and inclusion to health and well-being.

The 乐播传媒 FYE program reflects the 鈥渧alues that animate our community as much as it has also been a means for our students to get to know the people, programs, and policies that sustain our community,鈥� said Engel.

And it works, Engel added, because of buy-in from the entire 乐播传媒 enterprise. 鈥淭he work to support the transition to 乐播传媒 would be utterly impossible without the engagement of our entire community,鈥� he said.

鈥淣o single office manages the program,鈥� said Jimmy Riley, director of residence life and community standards, who traveled with 乐播传媒 colleagues in April to accept the award during the 2023 NASPA annual conference in Boston.

鈥淚t lives as an ongoing strategic partnership among several community stakeholders, including folks from academic affairs and student affairs. What matters most to all of us is that our students have a positive and enriching first year at 乐播传媒.鈥�

Selected from the largest applicant pool in 乐播传媒 history, the 501 members of the Class of 2023 arrive at 乐播传媒 on Monday, Aug. 26.

As they settle into various campus abodes on Opening Day and kick off their nine-day Orientation, the new students are embarking on a 乐播传媒 journey that, in a conventional sense, has a specific terminus: Commencement four years hence, on May 28, 2023.

In another sense, a 乐播传媒 journey is timeless, a mindset that lasts 鈥渇or as long as they wish,鈥� says Professor of Sociology Emily Kane.

In her Pettengill Hall office, Professor of Sociology Emily Kane wraps up a meeting with Hermione Zhou ’21 last January. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

While regular classes don鈥檛 begin until Sept. 4, Orientation offers a taste of 乐播传媒 academics right off the bat. So on Tuesday morning, the day after they arrive, the new students will attend their very first class, specifically their First-Year Seminar.

This fall, Kane is teaching one of the seminars, 鈥淚nequality, Community, and Social Change.鈥� A few days ago, as Kane was preparing for Tuesday鈥檚 first class gathering, she was also exchanging emails with a former student, now in graduate school, who took her First-Year Seminar six years ago.

+Class of 2023 by the Numbers

鈥淪he was writing to say she’d come across a recent book chapter I wrote,鈥� Kane explains, 鈥渁nd was finding it useful in her own graduate work on family policy.鈥�

That moment 鈥� communicating about academics with an alumna while simultaneously preparing for new students 鈥� left Kane dazzled 鈥渂y all those connecting threads. That鈥檚 what I hope to convey on the first day of class: the excitement and possibility and world of new connections that 乐播传媒 offers.鈥�

Jamari Amrham 鈥�22 of Richmond, Calif., has his eyes on his mom, Cherie Hill, as she took a selfie during Opening Day in 2018. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

All across campus, 乐播传媒 has its arms open to the new students, ready to help them make the best of these transformational four years.

“Orientation introduces students to the 乐播传媒 people, programs, and resources that will give them the tools to succeed,” says Assistant Dean of Students Blake Reilly, who oversees Orientation.

“We want our newest students to know that there’s always someone to turn to for support 鈥� and, hopefully, it’s someone they will have already met at Orientation.”

Orientation, which also features three days of student-led outdoor trips throughout Maine and New Hampshire, concludes next Tuesday with Convocation, the official opening of the academic year.

This year’s Convocation features an address by Dolores Huerta, a labor activist and civil rights icon who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America. The subject of an eponymous documentary that is this year’s Commons Read, Huerta will receive a 乐播传媒 honorary degree at Convocation.

On Opening Day, as seen in 2018, new students get many helping hands from student members of the college’s Residence Life staff. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

The metaphorical arms welcoming the new class include those of the beloved, college-run Dining Services, fully ready to welcome the newest students on Monday evening for their very first meal in Commons.

“Whether a student has had a great day or a lousy day when they come through our doors, we have an opportunity to make their experience excellent.”

Among other items, the first dinner will feature salmon piccata; barbecue seitan with veggies; a variety of pastas and sauces, including marinara, alfredo, pesto; and squash and crab bisque made from scratch, as all soups are at 乐播传媒 鈥� not to mention fresh tomatoes and kale from the college’s vegetable garden, the Plot, run by student EcoReps.

As prior generations of 乐播传媒 students have discovered, dining at 乐播传媒 鈥� distinctive for its single dining hall 鈥� is about great community and great food. “We want our new students to understand that this is a fun place and a comforting place 鈥� their home away from home,” says Director of Dining Cheryl Lacey.

Community and comfort are on the menu for the Class of 2023 at Dining Services, where Kevin Michaud prepares grilled cheese sandwiches for a recent Friday lunch. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

A meal at Commons gives students a chance to press the reset button, she says.

“Whether a student has had a great day or a lousy day when they come through our doors, we have an opportunity, at each point of service, to make their experience excellent.”

Students “should always feel comfortable approaching any of us to ask questions. They should feel comfortable building connections with our chefs, which they do, year after year, and asking questions about their food.”

Pursuant to answering food questions, 乐播传媒 recently became one of the few liberal arts colleges nationally to offer 聽for every dish on the Dining Services menu.

Continued national and international geographic expansion is 鈥渋mperative.”

The 501 students arrive Monday thanks to the work of the Admission team, which reviewed a record-setting 8,222 applications this year.

鈥淭here鈥檚 excitement for 乐播传媒 right now 鈥� students and families really desire a 乐播传媒 liberal arts education,鈥� Weisenburger says, pointing to strengths like Purposeful Work, highly relevant and interdisciplinary academics, a location in Lewiston and in Maine, and a 鈥渃ommunity where students are recognized and celebrated as individuals.鈥�

The new class features historic strengths, including 28 percent U.S. students of color, the highest ever, and a continued demographic-driven expansion to the West and South.

+A Few Facts About Students in the Class of 2023

As recently as 2009, 50 percent of the incoming class was from New England. This year鈥檚 class is 39 percent, even as 乐播传媒 maintains its firm commitment to Maine students. Similar to prior years, Mainers represent 9.6 percent of the class.

Continued national and international geographic expansion is 鈥渋mperative,鈥� explains Weisenburger, as high-school-age populations in the Northeast decline.

鈥溊植ゴ� continues to invest in diversifying and strengthening our applicant pool,鈥� says Weisenburger. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 not the same as merely growing the pool. Our goal is to attract the most diverse and talented applicants possible, while staying true to 乐播传媒 and enrolling students who really want to be here.鈥�

+The 2019 Admission Season by the Numbers

There鈥檚 strength in numbers, she adds. 鈥溊植ゴ� is in a very competitive higher-education environment. From that competitive standpoint, 乐播传媒 is where we need to be.鈥�

鈥溊植ゴ� continues to invest in diversifying and strengthening our applicant pool,鈥� says Dean of Admission Leigh Weisenburger, seen in 2018 on Opening Day for the Class of 2022. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

In terms of academic strength, 鈥渢he numbers speak for themselves,鈥� she says, noting an average GPA of 3.73. 鈥淏eyond the numbers is the high level of curiosity these students have, regardless of their high school background. The way they want to learn and the questions they want to ask 鈥� that’s what really excites me.鈥�

On Opening Day, Weisenburger will join President Clayton Spencer for an end-of-day event with all new students and parents. Weisenberger鈥檚 message? 鈥淛ust take a moment to celebrate. Take a deep breath, and enjoy the moment.鈥�

Twin brothers Marcus Delpeche ’17 and Malcolm Delpeche ’17 of Wilmington, Del., are standouts on the basketball court and, off the court, standup members of the college’s residence life staff.

They know the importance of watching out for their fellow Bobcats. “We all play a part in promoting an environment where everyone feels safe and included,” says Malcolm, a junior advisor in Chu Hall, while his brother is a residence coordinator in John Bertram Hall.

So it makes sense that the Delpeche twins organized their teammates to get certified in the college’s Green Dot initiative, a bystander intervention program that seeks to prevent power-based violence.

The team’s game vs. Connecticut College tonight (Jan. 20) is a Green Dot game to further build awareness for the program.

When it comes to building a culture where violence is unacceptable, one doesn’t have “to do everything, but everyone should do something,” says Blake Reilly, director of residence life in Student Affairs.

One Saturday night, a student on the fourth floor of Parker Hall heard a man yelling at a woman. Despite the unknowns of the situation, he left the comforts of his bed, ventured outside, and broke up the argument.

Why was this student motivated to leave his room? How did he have the skills to intervene between two people he didn鈥檛 know? The answer: He is Green Dot鈥揷ertified.

Geared toward students, Green Dot is a national bystander intervention program that seeks to prevent power-based violence. It was launched at 乐播传媒 a year ago by Student Affairs staff member Blake Reilly and former staffer Qiu Fogarty.

Assistant Director of Residence Life Blake Reilly, who has spearheaded the deployment of Green Dot at 乐播传媒, talks with students during a special Green Dot dinner held during the program’s launch in fall 2015.

Since then, 1,500 current 乐播传媒 students have attended an overview workshop of about 90 minutes, and an additional 389 are Green Dot Grads who have completed a five-hour certification training session. In addition, 43 Green Dot Grads in the Class of 2016 have taken their training into the world with them.

Such strong participation聽reflects a core tenet of the program: It takes a large number of willing and able people to change behaviors. “It’s not one person doing one big thing. It’s a bunch of people doing small things that add up,” says Reilly, assistant director of residence life in Student Affairs.

Reilly has worked hard to grow the program, and the 乐播传媒 community has been “enthusiastic,” he says.

Growing both awareness and the number of trained participants are key elements of the Green Dot program. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

“Green Dot has taken off because it aligns so closely with 乐播传媒鈥� core values,” he says. “In our mission and in our community, those informal values that we have, where we are always looking out for another student or staff member, Green Dot just seamlessly fits right into there.鈥�

was founded 10 years ago at the University of Kentucky by Dorothy Edwards, a clinical psychologist, and Marigail Sexton, a communications professional, and is now used by more than 500 U.S. colleges and universities. And it’s not limited to colleges. Even the .

乐播传媒 has been a particularly active Green Dot campus under Reilly’s leadership. On Sept. 18, 乐播传媒 was one of 50 colleges that joined 鈥淐onnecting the Dots,鈥� a Green Dot day of action 鈥渢hat trained thousands of students at the same time on the same day,鈥� he says.

So how did that student in Parker Hall know what to do? “Our goal is for students to leave their training feeling empowered to take initiative and be proactive,鈥� says Reilly, one of eight faculty and staff who are Green Dot trainers. “One of the Green Dot cornerstones is that everyone in the community has a responsibility and the ability to prevent power-based personal violence.”

“In a situation where someone thought they couldn鈥檛 make a difference before, they now have the skills, tools, and power to act,” he adds. “They will also leave knowing that they now can be part of a cultural shift that changes norms so fewer of our friends, loved ones, and colleagues will be harmed.鈥�

As the program’s name suggests, a green dot is a positive action that confronts a red dot, which is any sort of high-risk situation, whether an incident at a party where alcohol is present or a nasty text message sent to an ex.

A green dot can be reactive, like when the Parker student intervened in that argument, or proactive, when a student strikes up a conversation about power-based violence with a friend. The idea is to fill your community with green dots.

Students are the engine of this 乐播传媒 vehicle for preventing power-based violence.

Green Dot participant James Karsten ’17 of East Grand Rapids, Mich., had been involved with ReMasc, a student organization that challenges traditional ideas about masculinity with a goal of ending sexual violence on college campuses.

鈥淚 have internalized the fundamental principles of the training in such a way that I feel enabled and equipped to be an effective bystander during social events here on campus,鈥� Karsten says, who was one of three leaders of the 2016 edition of AESOP, the college’s outdoor program during Orientation.

James Karsten ’17, at left with fellow AESOP trip leaders Audrey Puleio 鈥�17 and Nate Diplock 鈥�17 in August, was an early Green Dot Grad. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

Helene Sudac ’19 of Lake Forest, Ill., is another of the 389 Green Dot grads. Now a Green Dot steering committee member, she values the program’s effectiveness in raising awareness about power-based violence.

鈥淎ny type of prevention for power-based violence is important, especially on a college campus where [power-based violence] is unfortunately more common than we know or is reported,鈥� says Sudac, who is a member of the Student Life staff as a junior advisor in Rand Hall.

A 乐播传媒 sociology study last winter shows that the program works.

Reilly and his Green Dot committee teamed up with Associate Professor of Sociology Heidi Taylor’s research methods class and found that students who attended the five-hour training were 50 percent more likely than untrained students to perform a proactive green dot.

Leanne Ouimet of the 乐播传媒 Communications Office is among more than 560 faculty and staff who have received some sort of Green Dot training. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)

鈥淲e also found that the certified students were 10 percent more likely to intervene when they witnessed a red dot than those who had only attended an overview,鈥� Reilly says.

乐播传媒 faculty and staff also take part in Green Dot. Three hundred and forty faculty and staff have been trained in a 45-minute overview, and 222 more completed a two-hour training program.

A member of the 乐播传媒 Communications staff, Leanne Ouimet is a Green Dot Grad who hires and helps to supervise the BCO student workers. She sought out Green Dot training because “I want to support our students, whether they work here for a semester or for four years,” she says.

“If they reach out to me, I want to be prepared to help.”

鈥淥ne in four women and one in six men will be survivors of sexual assault in their lives. That’s a really high number of people getting hurt,鈥� Reilly says. 鈥淎nd whether it’s purposeful or inadvertent, we as a society have been maintaining these high rates of violence.

“So let’s all get involved to bring these rates of violence down.”