New OWLs, coordinators selected
Campus Times
February 21, 1997
New Orientation Week Leaders gather together for show and tell during
their first training session with Ruby Cordova, acting dean of student affairs.
The group provides an off-campus experience for freshman and transfer students
to get to know each other during orientation week in the fall. Each Orientation
Weekend Leader receives $300 to be transferred into their school account
after orientation. They also enter into the LEAD program.
There are 25 Orientation Week Leader (OWL) positions available each
year to facilitate the orientation process of more than 300 new students
each fall. This year only 20 of those are filled, two being returning OWLs.
This year there were no male applicants and so the remaining five positions
will be filled by men.
"We are specifically looking for guys because by having all female
OWLs. That does not represent the University," said Kate Mueller, coordinator
of student development programs.
The OWLs were chosen based on their applications, sample letters to
incoming freshmen, minimum grade point averages of 2.5, individual interviews
and group interviews. Mueller said the most important is the group interview
because it gives the interviewers a chance to see how the applicant works
in a group environment.
There are two different OWL positions offered. Transfer OWLs and Freshmen
OWLs will work together at Orientation and throughout the training. Transfer
OWLs do not go through University 100 and Freshman OWLs do. Transfer OWLs
primarily work with transfer students during move-in and at camp.
The training for the OWLs began last Wednesday and continue every other
Wednesday throughout the remainder of the year.
There will be a few changes from last year's Orientation. While no changes
are definite yet, there is a plan to change some of the University 100 subjects.
Sophomores Nancy Ikari and Melissa Negrete are OWL coordinators, who
will help guide the new OWLs and point them in the right direction.
Ikari was an OWL for the first time last year.
"I love it so far. I haven't really done anything yet," she
said.
Negrete was an OWL last year and she also applied for the OWL coordinator
position.
"I was worried whether I would have the time to do this because
I have other commitments. I do have the time and now I am excited about
it," she said.
The OWL position is to help the incoming students make the transition
to La Verne easier.
This years OWLs are freshmen Carissa Callahan, Anna Caples, Teriy Castro,
Araceli Esparza, Allison Evans, Tricia Leach, Giselle Matus, Carol Maxwell,
Angela Mlinarevic, Tracey Owens, Jennifer Parsons, Maria Sandoval and Amanda
Verhoeven; sophomores Roxanne Klein, Cecilia Torres, Eboni White and Desiree
Yoro; and juniors Elizabeth Contreras, Christina Golub and Tracy Huigens.