As 乐播传媒 welcomed students back to campus in late August, 乐播传媒 Communications videographer Theophil Syslo camped out in a few locations to capture this timelapse video.

The various scenes range from early-morning weedwacking outside Hedge Hall to the orderly flow into the 乐播传媒 COVID-19 Testing Center at Underhill and this year’s super-quick (even before timelapse!) unloading of students’ stuff on Alumni Walk.

After a summer where endless rounds of pandemic planning and announcements seemed to define the college enterprise, 乐播传媒鈥� Opening Convocation on Sept. 1 offered welcome reminders of what we鈥檙e all about.

Presented via livestream, most of the event鈥檚 speakers delivered their remarks from otherwise mostly empty Olin Arts Center Concert Hall. 

At the lectern, there was President Clayton Spencer, using the moment as a bully pulpit to affirm the power and purpose of the liberal arts in the face of rolling national crises. 

Two student leaders, Perla Figuereo 鈥�21 and Lebanos Mengistu 鈥�21, shared the stage, from a safe physical distance, and spoke candidly to their fellow students about how to be their best selves at 乐播传媒.

Professor Stephanie Kelley-Romano and Professor Charles Nero, two senior members of the faculty, shared personal stories and hard-earned wisdom in service to the institution and its students.

And, at the end there was a gentle reminder of the daunting shared challenge 乐播传媒 faces this fall as Multifaith Chaplain Brittany Longsdorf, told the community that 鈥渨e are called to care for one another and this 乐播传媒 Community in ways never asked of us before.鈥�

President Spencer

In past years, only rain has driven Opening Convocation indoors. This year, the pandemic drove the event not only inside, to the Concert Hall, but its viewing audience to their laptops, phones, and desktop computers around campus and the world.

Spencer offered greetings to faculty and staff, thanking them for months of 鈥渆xtraordinary work…to adapt literally every aspect of life and work at the college.鈥�

To returning students: 鈥淲e have missed you terribly.鈥�

And to the Class of 2024, she shared a 鈥渇ervent hope that when you graduate in May 2024, we will all be gathered in person with your families and loved ones on a glorious sunny morning on the Historic Quad.鈥�

“If we substitute ideology for expertise, we lose our bearings.”

Then it was on to brass tacks: 鈥渢he liberal arts in the age of COVID鈥� and her thoughts on a summer that confronted us all, “repeatedly and relentlessly, with police killings of Black people and the ongoing devaluation of Black lives.

鈥淭hese are deeply distressing times for anyone who cares about our country and our fellow human beings. But these are particularly heavy times for the Black, Indigenous, and Brown students, faculty, and staff who are members of our community.鈥�

The stumbling national response to the pandemic, she said, has forced us to learn yet again, 鈥渢hrough bitter experience, that if we don鈥檛 get the science right, we won鈥檛 get the economics right. If we substitute ideology for expertise, we lose our bearings. Without a commitment to facts and evidence, we abandon the fundamentals of discourse, debate, and meaning making.鈥�

鈥淭his causes us to get policy wrong and hurt people. It causes us to substitute violence for persuasion. Dealing with the challenges posed by the wicked problems we are up against depends on highly specific expertise, but it requires, in equal measure, the ability to take in information from various domains and form integrated frameworks to guide policy and action.鈥�

Charles Nero and Stephanie Kelley-Romano

Reflecting tradition, the faculty speakers at Opening Convocation are selected by the prior year鈥檚 graduating class. It鈥檚 a 鈥済ift from the Class of 2020 to the Class of 2024,鈥� said Spencer, adding that the 2020 graduates 鈥渃hose brilliantly.鈥�

Both members of the Department of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies, Nero is the college鈥檚 Benjamin E. Mays ’20 Distinguished Professor who studies race and American cinema, queer studies, and African American literature. Kelley-Romano is an associate professor who studies television, conspiracy theories, and presidential campaign rhetoric.

Delivering a recorded Zoom-style talk (Nero from his Pettengill Hall office, Kelley-Romano from home), the pair spoke about the importance of being able to pivot in challenging times, 鈥渨ith adeptness or adroitness鈥� said Kelley-Romano.

Nero described his own pivot as a student. He was drawn to speech communications, specifically rhetoric and public address as he came of age in the American South in the era when the Civil Rights and Black Power movements 鈥渢ransformed the meaning of citizenship for African Americans.”

鈥淲hite supremacy and anti-blackness metaphorically slapped me in the face every semester.鈥�

Yet, he recalled, he was guided away from elevating Black voices by teachers while he was doing graduate work. A 鈥渓eading professor of American public address and oratory asked me, 鈥榃hy are you interested in writing about Blacks? Hasn鈥檛 everything been written about them?鈥欌��

Another professor discouraged Nero from writing about African Americans in 20th century progressive politics because 鈥渉e was only encouraging his graduate students who were 鈥榤ainstream and central.鈥欌��

Seeing how the traditional field of speech communication was aligned with 鈥渨hite supremacy and anti-blackness…metaphorically slapped me in the face every semester.鈥� 

Nero pivoted away from traditional speech communication studies, 鈥渢o African American studies (he is a member of the college鈥檚 Africana program) and, especially toward literary and film studies. I embraced Audre Lorde鈥檚 famous pronouncement that 鈥渢he master鈥檚 tools will never dismantle the master鈥檚 house.鈥�

Though he never left speech communication completely behind 鈥� 鈥淚 still believe that language and its performance are crucial for a democracy鈥� 鈥� democracy also requires a commitment to social justice that strives to be inclusive and equitable. 鈥淭he majors I have been most involved in here at 乐播传媒 emphasize social justice as crucial components for an undergraduate education.鈥�

Kelley-Romano talked about her experience as a first-generation college student and feelings of shame that initially haunted her during her journey.

鈥淚n high school, my guidance counselor told me I was 鈥榥ot college material鈥� primarily, I think now, because my family didn鈥檛 have the 鈥榤eans鈥� of many of my classmates. So, my academic journey started in community college.鈥�

“Maya Angelou has a quote: 鈥榃e do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better we do better.鈥�  But at that point, I didn鈥檛 know any better.鈥� 

Like Nero, Kelley-Romano 鈥渄id a lot of pivoting鈥�: away from sports, away from one major to another and then another. 鈥淚 made myself dizzy pivoting between loving lip-gloss and all things pink and simultaneously hating the mass-mediated messages about how I 鈥榮hould鈥� behave and what I 鈥榮hould鈥� want as a woman.”

Her identity, or what she called the performance of her identity, was under scrutiny by multiple audiences 鈥渁nd for the life of me I could not get it right. Maya Angelou has a quote: 鈥榃e do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better we do better.鈥�  But at that point, I didn鈥檛 know any better.鈥� 

It wasn鈥檛 until graduate school that this shifted. Studying rhetoric and the power of language 鈥減rompted me to pivot my attention to critique not only the consequences of calling someone a 鈥榲ictim鈥� vs. a 鈥榮urvivor鈥� but the larger systems and their entrenched histories that put the onus on girls to 鈥榥ot distract鈥� boys with tight clothing, to act 鈥榣ike a lady,鈥� and accept that 鈥榖oys will be boys.鈥欌��

Looking back, she said, the ability to 鈥減ivot between text and context, between exigence and audience, has made me a better scholar, teacher, and citizen.鈥�

Kelley-Romano also spoke as a person in recovery, who has cringed 鈥渨atching the invariably oversimplified depiction of alcoholism and addiction on television and in film.鈥�

But over the years, she鈥檚 seen and continues to track the role of language in reframing addiction, 鈥渇rom a ‘moral weakness鈥� to 鈥榗hemical dependency鈥� and now to 鈥榓 person with substance mis-use disorder.鈥欌�� Each iteration of naming, she said, 鈥渞edefines the agent and attempts to decrease stigma.”

As they concluded their shared talk, Nero and Kelley-Romano offered a Convocation staple: advice to the first-years. She urged the Class of 2024 to get out of their comfort zones, while Nero told them not to be afraid of getting messy as they venture into the unknown.

“Messiness is the beginning of what the late Congressman John Lewis called 鈥榞ood trouble,鈥欌�� Nero said. 鈥淲e know you have been taught how to write the best five-paragraph essay ever. We know you can recite facts and follow formulas. But now we want you to follow your heart, informed by your head to create new ways of thinking and being in the world.鈥�

Perla Figuereo ’21 and Lebanos Mengistu ’21

鈥淲e want to address how difficult this year has been for many folks,鈥� Mengistu said. 鈥淓specially for Black people. We want you all to know that we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you. The injustice that Black folks have faced and continue to face is a challenge on and off campus.”

Student to students, they gave advice.

About academics: 鈥淭ake a class that interests you, one that you could have never imagined yourself taking,鈥� said Figuereo. 

About social life: 鈥淎lthough it can be overwhelming at first, try to connect with your classmates and peers. Try to learn something from everyone you meet. Everyone has a story,鈥� said Mengistu.

And about personal life: 鈥淏e comfortable with failure,鈥� said Figuero. 鈥淪eek a balance. Be OK with saying no and yes to things when you feel it’s right. Let yourself fall in love with the new things in your life.鈥� 

Brittany Longsdorf

Whew. After all that advice and insight, it was time for the benediction and a 鈥渃ollective, centering breath, ” said Multifaith Chaplain Rev. Brittany Longsdorf. 鈥淟et us sense the sacred, deep togetherness that only pilgrimaging through unknown territory such as this can bring.鈥�

Her final words:  鈥淲e are called to care for one another and this 乐播传媒 Community in ways never asked of us before. May we rise to the occasion with compassion and courage.

鈥淢ay it be so.鈥�

There’s never been an opening like this. After an eerily quiet spring and summer on campus, it was startling, in the best way, to hear laughter, shouts of happy reunion and snippets of conversation over the course of this week’s three-day move in.

Here were new suitemates, sitting on a bench on Alumni Walk, having an early dinner and working out their living arrangement. 鈥淥K,鈥� says one. 鈥淟et鈥檚 have a conversation now about what we do that drives anyone crazy.鈥�

There were Elysia Garza 鈥�22 of Houston and Erick Gredonia ’21 of North Hollywood, Calif., headed to Garcelon Field to record a Tik-Tok dance. And over by Ladd Library, a group of students headed toward the outdoor dining near Commons stopped to cheer as one of their classmates ended a speedy bike ride across the Quad by popping an impressive wheelie. Ah, 乐播传媒.

From Tuesday through Thursday, 乐播传媒 welcomed back to campus some 1,700 students, including the incoming Class of 2024. (Another 170 or so students will do their fall coursework remotely.)

From 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday through 8 p.m. Thursday, all student arrivals were scheduled and spaced out like a New York City subway schedule. There was much less revelry and merrymaking, but still a strong sense of purpose as 乐播传媒 reopened with myriad protocols 鈥� universal masking, twice weekly testing, social distancing, limited extracurriculars 鈥� for the first time since closing on March 13 due to the pandemic.

As Nellie Breen ’21 of Pasadena, Calif., said, “We all so want to be here and we want to stay here. We鈥檙e going to do everything we can in order to stay.”

We felt their joy and enthusiasm as we watched over three days, and shared every bit of it. Here’s what it looked like, day by day, hour by hour.

Reporting by 乐播传媒 Communications staff members Jay Burns, Dave Ernst, Aaron Morse, and Mary Pols, and photography by Phyllis Graber Jensen

Day 1: Aug. 25

8:25 a.m. Standing Room Only

鈥淲here do I stand?鈥� asks Harris Manganiello 鈥�21 of Collegeville, Pa., first in line at the 乐播传媒 Testing Center, a repurposed Underhill Arena, on the first day of arrivals.

Luckily, that question had been anticipated: spray-painted squares, the familiar distance of 6 feet apart, told students where to queue up for the first of their twice-weekly COVID-19 tests.

鈥淚鈥檓 nervous to see how it goes,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut I suppose in a few minutes, it will be normal.鈥�

8:26 a.m. Game On

In terms of putting a plan into action, Day 1 of testing 鈥渋s like the first game of the season,鈥� says Nick Cooke, surveying the scene as students arrive Tuesday morning.

Until this summer, Cooke had one 乐播传媒 hat, assistant athletic director for athletic performance. Hence the sports comparison.

With the announcement of the college鈥檚 plan to reopen, he added another: director of the new 乐播传媒 College Testing Center at Underhill Arena, which will test all students, some 1,700, twice weekly.

鈥淭he message that I鈥檓 giving to our staff is that students will be anxious because it鈥檚 a brush with the unknown,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our job to guide them from the unknown to the known.鈥�

8:33 a.m. That Was Easy

Manganiello, at left, following classmate Alan Bisesi ’21 of Bloomington, Ind., steps out of the Testing Center.

Could he come up with one word to describe the test? 鈥淓asy.鈥� he says. It felt good, he adds, to get a feel for the process which will play such a big part of every student鈥檚 fall routine. 鈥淚 know how part of this will go for the rest of the semester.鈥�

From there, all arriving students head into a temporary quarantine in their residences until receiving a negative COVID test.

8:57 a.m. A Sterno Test

鈥淚 did the math,鈥� says Director of Dining Cheryl Lacey, standing behind a stack of Sterno cans that she needs to keep food warm in the many chafing dishes set up in the dining tent next to Garcelon Field.

During the first week back, students will pick up their grab-n-go Dash meals 鈥� hot and cold dishes, from egg sandwiches to veggie Italians 鈥� from the tent. After that, they鈥檒l start picking them up in Commons or the Gray Cage.

The math? 鈥淚鈥檝e got 28 cases of Sterno, 72 cans per case.鈥� Those 2,016 cans should last a total of 4,000 hours.

9:19 a.m. A coach with a different role

鈥淎t the end of the day, despite no football, it鈥檚 exciting to welcome our Bobcats back to campus because we still have each other,鈥� says head football coach Malik Hall. Dollies at the ready, Hall joins Sarah Pearson ’75, vice president for college advancement, to greet students at Kalperis Hall. 

They are two of many 乐播传媒 faculty, coaches, and staff helping with the historic move in. Students moving in Tuesday are all returning students, with first-years scheduled to arrive Wednesday and Thursday.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen the first-years in-person since they made their visits to campus a year and a half ago,鈥� Hall says. 鈥淚 am so excited to see those guys.鈥�

9:36 a.m. Move-In to Kalperis

Hayley Neighmond ’22 of Ballston Spa, N.Y., moves into Kalperis Hall with the help of professional movers. To ensure that residence didn’t get clogged with students and parents lugging gear, the college hired local moving companies to help out.

9:47 a.m. Dance Happy

鈥淚鈥檓 so happy to be back!鈥�

Walking on Campus Avenue to her Chu Hall residence, Orientation week leader Katia Ryan 鈥�23 of Amsterdam, N.Y., does a jig to express her excitement about returning to campus.

11:22 a.m. Duck, duck, 乐播传媒

At Page Hall, junior adviser Nathan Huynh 鈥�23 of San Diego looks all around and likes what he sees. Like most returning students, he has not seen the campus since mid-March, when the college moved to remote learning due to COVID-19. And it looks quite different.

鈥淭he trees are green,鈥� Huynh says. 鈥淭he grass is tall and the weather is warm. It’s perfect here. My favorite part about being on campus is just walking around. So yeah, I鈥檝e been stretching my legs a little bit.鈥�

What else? 鈥淛ust interacting with people again. And also the ducks. I really missed the ducks here.鈥�

3:01 p.m. Coming Attraction

鈥淟ook what鈥檚 coming,鈥� says a dad from New Jersey, holding out his phone to show the pulsating orange blip on his weather radar app. 鈥淔ive minutes until it鈥檚 here.鈥� 

He looks a little skeptical about whether or not the movers can get his daughter and all of her stuff into 280 College St. residence before the thundershower hits. The trees on Mount David are already starting to bend under the wind and the thunderheads are building.

Then the seven-person crew at 280 College descend with their secret weapons: dollies topped with refrigerator-sized cardboard boxes with one side cut out, into which the student鈥檚 gear goes.

By 3:11, when the welcome “committee” 鈥� men’s lacrosse coach Peter Lasagna 鈥� has finally conceded to sheltering from the torrential rain under the dorm鈥檚 portico, the sophomore is moved in and the family is pulling away. 

Day 2: Wednesday, Aug. 26

8:36 a.m. Sanitize and Step This Way

As a student rubs her hands with sanitizer, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Geoffrey Swift points the way to the 乐播传媒 Testing Center entrance. After testing in Underhill, students walk across the way to Merrill Gym for final check-in.

9:34 a.m. Couching Bobcat

Ridge Kelly ’23 of Bremen, Maine, moves a couch into his residence at Chu Hall.

10:12 a.m. Hoot Hoot Hellos

There isn’t the usual levity 鈥� but Bobcats will be Bobcats. Orientation week leaders Jackie Tam ’22 of Gardena, Calif., and Aaliyah Black ’22 of Auburn, N.H., greet students and families in front of Wentworth Adams Hall.

10:23 a.m. Almost Done

With parents Katherine and Andy, Ellory Kearns ’24 (right) of Steamboat Springs, Colo., ponders her next move after her stuff is unloaded from the family truck outside her Wentworth Adams residence.

10:38 a.m. Goodbye Sis

Sydney Phan ’24 of Zion, Ill., offers a goodbye hug to sister Kay, 10, as their mother Wendy prepares to head out.

10:56 a.m. On the Button

Greeting students and families outside Parker Hall, College Advancement staff member Meghan Getz Metzger ’07 found a creative way to greet folks with a friendly smile by wearing a button with her unmasked face.

9:58 a.m. Room at the Inn

At 280 College St., men’s lacrosse coach Peter Lasagna stands at the ready to greet students moving into the 280 College residence.

Two of coach Lasagna鈥檚 players 鈥� whose season was cut short last spring 鈥� stop by to greet their coach. Before their arrival, they had been grumbling to their coach about their housing assignment at the downtown Hampton Inn, pressed into use mostly for juniors who cannot go abroad as they planned.

Now that they are moved in, it is not bad at all, the players say, and even have some bonuses: Because the inn鈥檚 laundry facilities will be off-limits to students, the college will offer them a laundry service. 

Under sunny skies, Pierson Rambusch 鈥�22  of Madison, N.J., tells his coach about his timetable for applying to medical school. And naturally, the conversation shifts to talk of training and the hope of a spring season for the team. 

11 a.m. Al Fresco

Under the dining tent near Garcelon, three lanes guide students to their Dash meals. Students will pick up all meals from the tent for the first week, then pick them up from the Gray Cage or Commons thereafter. (All meals will be Dash.) On the brunch menu:

• Veggie Italian 鈥� American cheese, green pepper, onion, tomato, dill pickle, kalamata olives, salt, peper
• Bobcat bistro salad 鈥� mixed greens, sliced cucumbers, grape tomatoes, celery, and shredded carrots
• Mediterranean beef salad 鈥� spring mix, marinated beef, feta, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers
• Breakfast sandwiches 鈥� egg, chicken sausage patty, and American cheese on an English muffin

Here, Chidubem Umeh 鈥�22 of Randolph, Mass., poses for a photo after picking up lunch. He’s a residence coordinator at Hacker House.

11:12 a.m. Presidential Greeting

On hand to greet students and parents, President Clayton Spencer, seen in a mirror, speaks with Dave Griffin as his daughter Molly Griffin ’24 moves into Parker Hall on Alumni Walk.

11:13 a.m. A Keen Eye

Andrea Allen and David Allen Sr., parents of David Allen Jr. ’24 of Dorchester, Mass., watch as he moves into Parker Hall. It is a particularly tough year for parents dropping off their first-years; as part of move-in protocols, parents cannot enter residences, help move stuff in, and engage in the ritual of helping to set up their children’s rooms.

11:36 a.m. Wrapping It Up, Tightly

Simon McCormick ’24 of Whitfield, Maine, shares a goodbye moment with his mother, Karen.

11:39 a.m. As Close as You Can

Krista Bussell and her daughter, Sarah Bussell ’23 of Mohegan Lake, N.Y., get in one last hug at the 280 College St. residence. 

11:51 a.m. 鈥楾he Food Situation鈥�

鈥淲ell, I鈥檝e got the food situation down,鈥� says Christopher Barker 鈥�21 of Burlington, Vt., as he leaves the dining tent near Garcelon.

His roommates haven’t arrived yet, so he is feeling a bit untethered. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited, I鈥檓 hopeful, and I鈥檓 taking it day by day. I鈥檓 interested in seeing what this is all going to look like. We have such a great community. I think everyone鈥檚 going to do their part to make this work.鈥�

12:33 p.m. Really Surreal

At Page Hall, residence coordinator Nellie Breen ’21, of Pasadena, Calif., takes a quick break from holding the door open for first-years and workers from Southern Maine Movers 鈥� hired this year to help with move-in 鈥� to talk about the 鈥渘ew normal鈥� of life at 乐播传媒 during a pandemic.

She was eight and a half months into a junior year abroad in Sevilla, Spain, when the pandemic hit, so she鈥檚 been away from 乐播传媒 for a year and a half. 鈥淚t feels pretty surreal to be here and to see people,鈥� she says.

鈥淭here are so many incredible things that we do on campus that don’t necessarily require being close to each other.”

So far, just hours into her return, she is 鈥渋mpressed with how everyone’s doing with masks and with distancing. I think that we’re going to continue to do a great job.鈥�

She鈥檚 been spreading the gospel, so to speak. 鈥淲hat I’ve talked with everyone is, 鈥榃e all so want to be here and we want to stay here. We鈥檙e going to do everything we can and follow as many rules as we can.鈥欌��

It鈥檚 now about the simple but important pleasures of 乐播传媒 life, she says. 鈥淭here are so many incredible things that we do on campus that don’t necessarily require being close to each other. Just being able to go to class, walking down Alumni Walk, seeing the Puddle 鈥� those are things that I’ve been looking forward to for a year.

鈥淎nd I’m so excited to be here and I want to stay. I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing the programming that 乐播传媒 comes up with and the new experiences and the ways 鈥攖he creative ways 鈥� that we find community.鈥�

Day 3: Thursday, Aug. 27

9:18 a.m. The Nest Empties

Julia and Rene Dumont stand at the curb, watching as movers unload the possessions of their twins, Austin 鈥�21 and Noah 鈥�21, and whisk them into 280 College. 

The Dumonts haven’t come far (they live in Auburn), but this is the end of a long journey for them. The twins are the youngest of their five children, so this is the last of many college drop offs for the couple. 鈥淭hat was the 20th,鈥� Rene says as he closes his car trunk.

It’s hard to miss that the 乐播传媒 sticker is by far the biggest and most dominant of the stickers on the car鈥檚 rear window (sorry Bowdoin). 鈥淏ecause we鈥檝e got two here!鈥� Rene Dumont says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to celebrate quickly 鈥� and hopefully not see them until Thanksgiving,鈥� Julia adds.

Rene says he鈥檚 been reflecting on something President Spencer said during one of the informational webinars for families, about how college is full of quiet joys. 鈥淎nd that resonates for us,鈥� he says, because their family tends to be introverted. 鈥淪o hopefully, this can be a time for those who like things a little more quiet.鈥�

Austin reappears, looking pleasantly surprised. 鈥淭hat was so easy,鈥� he says. Noah emerges from the other side of 280 a minute later and they pose for one last drop-off day picture and a hug. Home may be close by, but 鈥渢his is their world,鈥� Rene Dumont says. 

10:49 a.m. Looking Around

After receiving her negative COVID-19 test, Aaliyah Moore ’24 of Phoenix, Ariz., is able to leave her residence and take her first campus walk around the puddle. Here, she takes a closer look at one of the memorial benches around the pond, this one dedicated to the memory of Benton Randall Lyster III ’04.

She is particularly interested in the wildlife 鈥� ducks, squirrels, the occasional osprey feeding on fish 鈥� and eagerly imagined what Lake Andrews would look like when frozen over. She has never seen snow fall.

4:35 p.m. You Can Say That Again

Back at the testing center, the team is still expecting about 90 more students for initial testing and check-in before the three-day move-in concludes at 8 p.m.

Athletic trainer Andrew England 鈥� seen here on Day 1 pointing a student toward the testing entrance at Underhill 鈥� is finishing three days of asking the same COVID-19 screening questions to students.

He estimates that he alone has asked the screening questions 鈥減robably 1,500 times.鈥� But it鈥檚 worth it, he says, to start the fall off right. 鈥淚t takes a village. It takes a team effort.鈥�

Early Wednesday morning, Jason Therrien of Facility Services was tending to a dozen new Adirondack chairs arranged in a circle on the Historic Quad. Armed with a tape measure and cable cutter, Therrien was measuring the appropriate 6-foot distances between the chairs, then attaching security cables.

The task, part of a pandemic-prompted effort to increase outside seating for students this fall, was a bit outside his purview as a carpenter. But, he said, 鈥渆veryone鈥檚 helping out to get everyone safely into school. That鈥檚 the most important thing. And it鈥檚 a team effort.鈥�

The team effort to bring the 乐播传媒 campus back to life hits a milestone on Aug. 25, the first of three move-in days through Aug. 27. 

If there鈥檚 a VIP set of arrivals each August, it鈥檚 the first-year class, and they arrive on the 26th and 27th. The class totals 480, some 26 of whom have elected to begin their 乐播传媒 experience remotely, reflecting the hybrid model for the college鈥檚 fall semester: Students and faculty could choose in-person or remote learning. 

Overall, around 150 students have chosen remote learning among the 1,883 students enrolled this fall. Among the faculty, about two-thirds have chosen to teach their courses totally or partially in-person; the balance will teach remotely.

In terms of courses, about 70 percent will be either in person or a mix of in-person and remote. The rest will be remote only. Courses that have any in-person component will be fully available to students who are studying remotely.

Students will return to a vastly different campus experience this fall, a belt-and-suspenders set of overlapping strategies to address COVID-19 that were designed over the summer by 乐播传媒 planning teams and advised by infectious disease experts from the Mayo Clinic and elsewhere.

And while sophomores, juniors, and seniors will recall campus life before the pandemic 鈥� and will need to adjust to protocols like distancing, face coverings, twice-weekly COVID-19 testing, and more limited campus life programming, 鈥� the Class of 2024 arrives on campus tabula rasa. 

That鈥檚 significant to Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Leigh Weisenburger, for whom the arrival of the new class marks the happy conclusion to the long admission season.

Noting that returning students understandably might 鈥渟till be pining鈥� for a traditional campus experience, the new first-years don鈥檛 have those expectations, she says. 

鈥淢ost of them have done a remote experience in myriad ways around the world as they wrapped up their high school careers. Now, we are asking them to do the same, but in a different place,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey have the potential to be leaders in creating a new 乐播传媒 experience this fall.鈥�

鈥淲e felt that Orientation was disjointed: unrelated events that students felt they needed to sit through.鈥�

This year, 乐播传媒 has redesigned Orientation, which kicked off this week with online presentations within Lyceum, the student portal. Unlike so much else that has changed due to the pandemic, the decision to revise Orientation began last February with reviews by a campus committee.

If alumni recall their Orientation at all, they might only remember a blur of info sessions, punctuated by the overnight AESOP program, then more sessions. 

鈥淲e felt that Orientation was disjointed: unrelated events that students felt they needed to sit through,鈥� says Blake Reilly, an assistant dean of students in the Office of Residence Life and Health Education. 

Joining Reilly as an architect of the new Orientation is Professor of Politics Stephen Engel, a Faculty Fellow for Student Affairs. 鈥淥rientation should offer a bridge to the 乐播传媒 experience, an opportunity for our students to encounter and explore, for the first time, the values that are central to our community,鈥� says Engel.

In his contributions to the revamped Orientation, Engel drew less on his expertise in constitutional law and LGBTQ legal and political issues and more on his work 15 years ago in student-life programming at New York University, before he embarked on his doctoral studies, and on his undergraduate experience at another NESCAC college, Wesleyan.

鈥淚 loved Wesleyan for how it embraced its history, good and bad. We tell the story about how Wesleyan admitted women, then threw them out in 1911 before admitting them again in 1971,鈥� Engel says. 鈥淭here was a culture of telling stories鈥� to reinforce a shared identity.

鈥溊植ゴ� has wonderful stories about its key values, and when students enter 乐播传媒, we need to tell the stories about those values. Students need to know they are entering a community, not just a school.鈥� 

Organized into six different modules featuring readings, videos, and reflections exercises, the new Orientation adopts a storytelling approach to convey 乐播传媒 values, which have been specifically defined as community; equity, inclusion, access, anti-racism, and educational justice (EIAAREJ); academic inquiry and exploration; purpose and identity; health and wellness; and sense of place.

鈥淏y grounding Orientation in specific values, we hope that students see a thematic relationship among the videos, reflection activities, and opportunities for live chats,鈥� says Engel.

For example, the theme of the first module is 鈥淲elcome to 乐播传媒.鈥� Within that module, one activity invokes the values of EIAAREJ, academics, and a sense of place by offering a story about the college鈥檚 pre-Civil War connection to cotton grown by enslaved persons.

After reading the story, students watch a discussion by professors Joe Hall (history), Anelise Hanson Shrout (digital and computational studies), and Sue Houchins (Africana); students Perla Figuereo ’21 and Alya Yousef ’21; and recent graduate Emma Soler ’20.

(Regarding AESOP, the longtime outdoor program will be in a scaled-down, on-campus format this year.)

Perhaps fitting in the topsy-turvy world we鈥檙e in, the Class of 2024 received the happy news of their 乐播传媒 admission at exactly the same time 鈥� the weekend of March 14鈥�15 鈥� that 乐播传媒 students were packing to leave campus.

The closure threw a wrench into Admission’s strategic efforts to finalize the recruitment of the new class. For one, it meant no on-campus receptions for admitted students. Second, it constrained the use of social media, especially Instagram, to celebrate the new class with upbeat and celebratory photographs and text that the entire campus could feel good about. 

For example, an initial Instagram post in mid-March celebrating the Class of 2024’s admission got blowback from current students, especially seniors, who were feeling the deep pain of their forced departures. 鈥淲e learned a tough lesson,鈥� said Weisenburger. 鈥淪o we moved our admitted students program to a private online space.鈥� 

With all on-campus admitted-student events cancelled and with Instagram being used more to honor the experience of seniors, the Admission team turned aggressively to Facebook for its admitted-student programming. 

鈥淲e also surveyed admitted students early and often about what they wanted,鈥� Weisenburger said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to pretend we know.鈥�

乐播传媒 learned that admitted students wanted to know more about certain things that were very important to them: career preparation resources including Purposeful Work, extracurriculars, academic advising and facilities, housing options, social life, Lewiston, and off-campus opportunities. 

Between March 23 and April 27, the Admission team, in conjunction with an array of campus partners, 乐播传媒 alumni, and 乐播传媒 families, produced 12 鈥淎sk Me Anything鈥� Zoom sessions for admitted students featuring 乐播传媒 professors, students, and program leaders addressing top-of-mind questions from the survey results.

Like the rest of the world learning to move their in-person communications to online formats, takeoff for 乐播传媒鈥� brand-new programming was challenging at the start, admits Weisenburger. 鈥淚t was anxiety-ridden. But we learned that we didn鈥檛 have to be perfect to engage our audience. We could just be ourselves. And that made it fun and real for the folks producing it, the 乐播传媒 people speaking, and also the audience.鈥�

Speaking to prospective students on Facebook 鈥渨asn’t quite the same as being able to greet 600 students and families from the podium in Memorial Commons鈥� during a typical Admitted Student Reception on campus, says Weisenburger. 鈥淏ut it was still pretty cool to watch the chat feed light up and engage with students live, yet in a virtual world.鈥�

Notwithstanding Facebook losing Gen Z audience to other platforms, the Class of 2024 Facebook group now has 550 members, including some from other 乐播传媒 classes.  鈥淚t鈥檚 an impressive turnout, and we鈥檝e seen more posts and comments within the group this year than in the past,鈥� says Weinsenburger.

In a typical year, after moving gear into residences and into rooms, a barbecue lunch, and afternoon talks and information sessions, a move-in day for first-years would end with new students and their families gathering on the Historic Quad for a final moment of reflection and greetings.

There, the students and families would hear from Weisenburger and President Spencer. Weisenburger won鈥檛 have that platform this year, though Spencer will share a welcome message online, and Weisenburger took part in a walking-tour video of Lewiston as part of the virtual Orientation programming. 

But what would Weisenburger like to say to the Class of 2024? 

鈥淚 think I would say, 鈥楯ust take your time. Take it slow. Be nice to yourself and to others. We鈥檝e all struggled during the pandemic, so try to appreciate this. It鈥檚 not what we expected, but we hope there will be positives. This fall will be a unique experience that will shape you and your class like no other.鈥欌��

Each year, in their applications and conversations with the 乐播传媒 Admission team, members of the incoming class share some eye-catching facts about their secondary-school accomplishments. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 rewarding to read these stories 鈥� they鈥檙e leading indicators for what we know will be an incoming class that makes great contributions to our academic community,鈥� says Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Leigh Weisenburger.

For every student with obvious talents, others show their character and contributions in less visible yet equally remarkable ways.

鈥淪uch as the student who is a caretaker for an elderly relative, or who helps care for a grandparent with Parkinson鈥檚,鈥� says Weisenburger. 鈥淥r the student who cooks for the family, or who cares for five siblings.鈥�

All told, 7,696 students applied to be members of the 乐播传媒 Class of 2024, which as of today numbers 480. Here are some demographic numbers:

• Female 53%
• Male 47%
• U.S. students of color 27%
• First generation to college 12%
• Non-U.S. citizens 9%

And some geographic numbers:

• Middle Atlantic 23%
• Midwest 6%
• New England 38%
• Southeast 5%
• Southwest and West 18%
• Outside of the U.S. 10%

In myriad ways, this is another impressively multi-talented 乐播传媒 class. Crossing the quad this fall you might pass a student who:

• Is a national ice-dance skating champion 鈥� and a state ice hockey champion.
• Translated the Bible into Albanian by cross-referencing Hebrew, French, and English versions.
• Raised $1,000 for cancer research by doing a two-mile swim from San Francisco鈥檚 Golden Gate Bridge to Crissy Field.
• Has won national honors as a soprano singer.
• Blogs about food and has 4,000 Instagram followers.
• Helped make all their community parks tobacco free. 
• Organized a local prom for senior citizens.
• Cares for retired racehorses in a boarding stable.
• Works with the Billion Oyster Project to restore oyster reefs to New York Harbor in collaboration with New York City communities.
• Has done significant work with Innovators Developing Accessible Tools in Astronomy. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, IDATA brings together high school students, blind and visually impaired and sighted, and their teachers to create a fully accessible astronomy data request, retrieval, and analysis software tool.
• Ranks fifth in their state in chess.
• Calls bingo at a retirement home.
• Teaches children of nomadic herders.
• Coauthored an important that contributed to the 2019 Nobel Prize in physics.
• Founded a Model UN in a part of Iraq held by ISIS and has co-produced videos to teach Kurdish to 780,000 subscribers.
• Hosts a radio reading service for visually impaired children.
• Is certified in coral restoration and works with underwater coral nurseries.
• Won a bench made of recycled plastic by collecting 4,000 plastic bottles during a recycling challenge.
• Has written about their battle with depression for a major news outlets and raised $4,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
• Earned the highest possible rating, a superior-plus, in piano from the National Federation of Music.
• Kayaked 140 miles of Alaska鈥檚 Prince William Sound from Valdez to Whitter.
• Leads their town鈥檚 disabled youth hockey program.