From campsite to campus, Pre-Orientation fosters lasting community

For most people, wisdom tooth surgery might serve as a good excuse to stay at home and rest. Two days after her own operation, however, second-year Laura Pape did the exact opposite. Alongside 60 other students from the University of Chicago, she went backpacking for a week in northern Michigan.

When asked about her experience, Pape said she didn’t regret a thing. “I really can’t just choose one memorable part of my trip because there were so many moments that make me smile and laugh to remember,” said the public policy major from Idaho. Moreover, “I gained such an incredible community from the program. Everyone became really good friends, and we still hang out together.”

Pape’s trip was made possible through the College’s Phoenix Outdoor Program (POP), one of two new Pre-Orientation programs that launched this past September. Led by returning students like Pape, six groups of eight incoming first-years spent a week camping in the Manistee National Forest. The goal, as program director Katie Welch put it, was to give participants the chance to “share experiences in the outdoors,” creating the bonding experiences for which the College’s Pre-Orientation programs have always been known.

Over the course of the trip, POP participants were taught first aid techniques and basic wilderness survival skills, like how to start a camp stove and pitch a tent. During their hikes, participants also got to know each other better through activities like trail games.

Many incoming first-years found that POP gave them a passion for nature. “I feel that POP has given me a renewed love of the outdoors,” said Katherine Leahy, a first-year participant in the program. “Prior to POP, I had never been on a backpacking trip. Now I want to continue backpacking in the future, and I intend to get involved with UChicago’s Outdoor Adventure Club.”

More generally, POP also gave students a new perspective on both UChicago itself and Chicago’s relationship to the rest of the Midwest. “I think an outdoor Pre-Orientation program is not something that’s traditionally been associated with UChicago, but many students are in fact looking for something like that,” noted Katie Welch, the coordinator of this year’s POP. “Part of this program is [meant] to show new students that, although UChicago is in a city, there are still amazing outdoor spaces in the Midwest for them to explore — and that there are like-minded students who are interested in planning trips to camp and hike.”

While POP participants explored the wilderness, students who joined this year’s other new pre-orientation program, Campus Crew, were paid to lay the groundwork for Orientation Week. Arriving on campus a week before O-Week began, Campus Crew participants helped prepare for their fellow first-years’ arrival by moving luggage, stapling welcome packets, and putting up signs around campus.

“What appealed to me about Campus Crew was that it seemed like a great way to get to know Chicago, lend a helping hand with O-week and, hopefully, make some new friends prior to class,” said Kaedy Puckett, a first-year participant in the program. “Not to mention that getting paid to essentially have a great time and make friends is a pretty awesome way to start your college experience.”

In their free time, Campus Crew participants explored downtown Chicago. Among other things, they attended a Cubs game, saw a show at the iO Theater, and completed an escape room challenge. 

“We did a lot of work, but we also had a lot of time to relax and get to know each other,” said Nikita Dulin, one of Campus Crew’s two student coordinators. “I remember one day, the College Programming Office gave us a whole afternoon off, and we decided to get ice cream at Medici and walk to the [Promontory] Point. It was a post-work bonding session that’ll always have a special place in my memory.” 

Whether it was the importance of teamwork or the value of unplugging from technology, Campus Crew and POP taught students lessons that will serve them well at both the University and in life after college. Perhaps most significantly, program participants were able to make friendships that have helped them acclimate to life away from home.

“I was really nervous about fitting in with my younger, first-year peers when I first got to campus,” Puckett noted. “Campus Crew, however, showed me that my apprehensions were totally misplaced. At least once a day, while I am walking to and from classes or heading to the library, I will hear someone shout my name, and I’ll turn around to see one of my Campus Crew friends.”

“That feeling of social acceptance is something I owe largely to Campus Crew,” Puckett said.  “It’s something that I am beyond grateful for.”