Scavenger Hunt Gone From Orientation Week

This September's first-year orientation week will feature several minor changes, including the elimination of last year's immensely unpopular scavenger hunt.

Additions to the whirlwind week include a broad introduction to the Office of Career Services (OCS) and more structured science advising.

The scavenger hunt was initiated last year as part of what became known as "Diversity Day," which occurred on the second Saturday of first-year orientation.

In the hunt, student groups explored Cambridge in search of everything from Harvard personnel signatures to dining hall napkins.

The hunt was canceled because it "got bad reviews," according to Lorri A. McDaniel, administrative assistant to the dean of freshman.

The Freshman Dean's Office (FDO) asked students to evaluate different components of the week, and "students said they definitely didn't like that part of the week," McDaniel said.

Among the specific complaints were that the scavenger hunt was poorly organized, silly and without clear purpose.

In place of the scavenger hunt will be a box lunch in the Yard.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III was ultimately responsible for making the decision to eliminate the hunt.

Epps said in an interview Monday that the activity was designed to build a spirit to community, but that it was dropped because it "wasn't successful last year."

He said that the scavenger hunt made the day unduly long, especially when grouped with intimate faculty conversations about diversity and the Harvard-Columbia football game.

"The contention was that the program was tolong, [and the elimination was] designed to reducethe length," Epps said. "It lost the focus of theday."

Epps said that the picnic would most likelyfeature a band which will introduce first-years toHarvard football songs.

The faculty conversations, ranked as the "mostsuccessful part of freshmen orientation" accordingto Epps, will remain. The Harvard-Columbia game,which alternates between the schools every year,will be in New York this fall.

Director of OCS Martha P. Leape will lead anintroductory discussion on the "liberal arts andthe world beyond Harvard."

McDaniel said that the meeting, designed forparents, introduces the major services offered byOCRs, such as internships and foreign study.

The session is geared toward parents as "acalming type of thing," McDaniel said.

It will take place on September 10, the firstSaturday of orientation, in Memorial Hall'sSanders Theatre.

Aside from some other fine-tuning in theschedule, McDaniel said that the only other majorchange is adding more structure to scienceadvising.

McDaniel said the September 14 overview offirst-year introductory math and science courseswill be more specific--each discipline will have a15-minute lecture in the Science Center.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth S. Nathans could notbe reached yesterday for comment

"The contention was that the program was tolong, [and the elimination was] designed to reducethe length," Epps said. "It lost the focus of theday."

Epps said that the picnic would most likelyfeature a band which will introduce first-years toHarvard football songs.

The faculty conversations, ranked as the "mostsuccessful part of freshmen orientation" accordingto Epps, will remain. The Harvard-Columbia game,which alternates between the schools every year,will be in New York this fall.

Director of OCS Martha P. Leape will lead anintroductory discussion on the "liberal arts andthe world beyond Harvard."

McDaniel said that the meeting, designed forparents, introduces the major services offered byOCRs, such as internships and foreign study.

The session is geared toward parents as "acalming type of thing," McDaniel said.

It will take place on September 10, the firstSaturday of orientation, in Memorial Hall'sSanders Theatre.

Aside from some other fine-tuning in theschedule, McDaniel said that the only other majorchange is adding more structure to scienceadvising.

McDaniel said the September 14 overview offirst-year introductory math and science courseswill be more specific--each discipline will have a15-minute lecture in the Science Center.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth S. Nathans could notbe reached yesterday for comment