Day 1
You find a student looking lost and confused, and they don't know who their orientation leader is.
Check the assignments spreadsheet and match them to the room assignments document (both will be available). Text the OL
A student has completely forgotten their Lawrence credentials and can't connect to WiFi or follow along with the Tech Workshop
Delegate one OL to walk them over to IT helpdesk, or help them call IT in a quiet space. Offer to do a make-up session sometime (or share the workshop document)
The bus to your EPIC Experience is going to be 30 minutes late. Everyone's already gathered.
One of your students texts you in the morning, saying they won't be participating today due to illness.
Be understanding, excuse from activities. Offer some kind of make-up; go the extra mile
A group of 3-4 students who seem to have become best friends are dominating the conversation during activities. Other members of the group haven't been contributing much at all.
Deputize them to involve others, bring them in the loop! Be mindful of how you moderate
After breaking out into your small groups, you see that you are missing a student.
Text your Coordinator group with the name to see if someone picked them up on accident. Notify Kristi. Afterwards, email the student individually to check if they found someone and catch them up.
You want to take a quick game break, but all of the game supplies have gone missing!
Ninja, Just Dance, Green Glass Door, Chirades, Spaceship to Mars, Icebreaker-type, Take a Walk Outside, Spelling Game in a Circle, etc.
Ultimately, don't have to do anything they're not comfortable with - stay with them or connect them to other students who aren't climbing. But also express your confidence and belief in them; help them find a beginner route, offer to climb next to them on an adjacent route. Can be really impactful experience
A conservatory student is extremely anxious about auditions, and feels that they aren't good enough and doesn't deserve to study music at Lawrence.
Listen and validate feelings. Assure them that no matter what, they have a place here and feeling that way is very common at first. Connect them with a Con student/the Con helpdesk.
One of your students is extremely quiet in the group, is often seen eating alone in the Commons, and claims to have not attended any of the social events.
Check in individually. Listen actively and connect over shared interests. Offer to eat/go to activities together and invite other friends (other OLs are perfect for this).
Your group is very quiet, nervous, and hesitant to share or participate.
Model the participation you want to see, thank students for their contributions, listen actively. Validate feelings of anxiety/nerves. Adapt your plan - maybe end the large group activities earlier to make more one-on-one connections afterward
Set expectations for engagement early in the week. Utilize your coordinator team to quietly remind students while one is speaking. If energy is slipping, mix it up! Interject an activity to grab their attention.
One of your students is adamant that they don't want to take part in your EPIC Experience. They did not fill out the survey in the summer and got randomly assigned.
Do not make any promises - first see if any of the other experiences in your coordinator group have room to take an additional student (that's an easy switch). If not, have your coordinator contact others. They may have to suck it up - stay positive and look for alternative ways to participate
A student confides that they are extremely homesick, calling their parents every day, and thinking about quitting to go home.
A student frequently brings up hookup culture and how excited they are to participate now that they're in college.
Validate that safe space to ask candid, genuine questions, but can be inappropriate in group setting based on verbage/intent. Advise that Lawrence is a small community, consent culture
A student has a panic attack after move-in. Their parents have left and they feel extremely anxious/overwhelmed.
Remove from setting - calmly offer to move somewhere quiet, stay with them and offer assurance. Notify Kristi. Offer resources but maintain ability to choose.
A student has a fantastic time on their EPIC Experience and wants to know how they can have more experiences like that.
Connect them to faculty mentor and related campus orgs. Faculty mentor will stay on throughout the year.
One of your students tells that a loved one has passed away a few days into Welcome Week.
Excuse the student from participation (if desired). Be there for them, listen, and support. Offer resource help but allow choice. Still ask for advice from the professionals on campus! Bonus: who are the confidential resources on campus?
One of your students asks if they can switch rooms immediately because their roommate is sloppy, plays online games loudly at night, and has people over all the time.
Guide them on having an open conversation with their roommate first, and connect them to their CA
One of your students makes comments/jokes that are insensitive and prejudiced when speaking in small groups. They say everyone at home speaks like that.
Emphasize we come from all different communities with different values, but those comments are unacceptable at Lawrence (reference DOS handbook).
Two students are constantly at each other's throats and it becomes distracting for the whole room during activities/presentations.
Separate students and listen individually, or facilitate an open conversation between them. If that does not solve or they feel uncomfortable, move student to another leader (within or outside of your room) if mutually agreed upon.
A student experiences an minor injury such as a sprain or strain while participating in their EPIC Experience.
Rest Ice Compress Elevate (RICE). Notify Kristi/Chris Clarke. Modify activity so participation can still be possible
At a party on the weekend, you run into a first-year student who is out cold on the floor. Their friends say they had 8-9 shots and have been down for about an hour.
Alcohol poisoning. Collarbone tap or sternum rub. If unresponsive, call 911 and campus safety and roll student on their side. If responsive but irregular breathing or clammy skin; call 911 and campus safety, keep them conscious and on-side/upright.
All but one student in your group is a member of an athletic team, and the majority are all lacrosse players that exhibit a lot of comradery already. The student seems a little uneasy.
Direct attention to things outside of major/LU involvement that connect group members. Do high-turnover matching games (find a partner based on favorite ____). Check in with the student individually