Freshman Week Changes in Store

In an effort to make Harvard a more welcoming place for greenhorn freshmen, the College will probably make major changes to the Calendar of Opening days for the Classes of 2009 and 2010, following recommendations from the final report of the Freshman Orientation Advisory Committee.

The report recommends that three top administrators—incoming Dean of Freshman Thomas A. Dingman ’67, Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71, and Deputy Dean of the College Patricia O’Brien—restructure the events of the first week to emphasize social opportunities and develop a better schedule for more structured events, like discussions of campus policy and placement exams.

“One of the major themes is presenting incoming students with social opportunities in a tiered approach,” Assistant Dean of the College and Chair of the Committee Paul J. McLoughlin II said. “[The first-years] will get to know their entryway first, their dorm second, their yard third, their entire class by Wednesday of the week, and then begin interacting with all upperclassmen at our campus party on Friday night.”

The report, which was released in June, divides its recommendations into two categories: “short-term” recommendations, which should be accomplished by the time the class of 2009 enters, and “long-term” recommendations, which College hopes to implement for the class of 2010.

Short-term recommendations include introducing the prefects and assistant deans of freshman earlier in the week, adding movie screenings for students who aren’t comfortable at large social gatherings, and expanding the “Through the Gates Program,” which allows first-years to take day trips outside Harvard Yard.

After conducting a survey of the freshman class, the committee was surprised to find out that, while most students in the Class of 2008 enjoyed opening days, fewer than half of the respondents thought that the program adequately prepared them for the challenges of their first year.

The introduction of the report also references, “recent survey data” indicating “that Harvard students are dissatisfied with access to faculty and the quality of social life on campus,” referring to Committee on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) data leaked to the Boston Globe earlier this year. That data showed a statistically significant gap between Harvard and its peer institutions in levels of student satisfaction.

To address the problems identified in both the COFHE data and by the freshman survey, the report suggests that the College clarify the role of the proctor and support daily interaction between students and their prefects.

The long-term recommendations outlined in the report are less specific. They include incorporating a theme or key message into orientation and expanding offerings for parents of freshmen. It also suggests a reduction in the amount of free time during the week.

“We heard from the survey that students didn’t like free time in the calendar, and in the focus groups they said, ‘We don’t know what to do with free time,’” McLoughlin said.

Ultimately, the Committee’s recommendations will be implemented at the discretion of Gross, O’Brien, and Dingman.

Gross said he hopes to act on some of the report’s suggestions.

“I thought the report on freshman orientation was enlightening,” Gross wrote in an e-mail. “We are planning some changes this fall, like having smaller social events before the larger ones.”

Dingman could not be reached for comment.

—Staff writer Joshua P. Rogers can be reached at jprogers@fas.harvard.edu.