Orientation 2014 welcomes new students

orientation supervisors
Joe Wilensky/Cornell Chronicle
Cornell Orientation Steering Committee members and orientation supervisors welcome more than 400 volunteer orientation leaders to Bailey Hall for a day of training Aug. 21 before Move-In Day and Orientation Weekend.

Campus is ready. Some 3,830 first-year and incoming transfer students will come to campus for Orientation 2014, Aug. 22-25. Dozens of events are scheduled to introduce them to university life, from living in a residence hall, using the sports facilities, dining in style or on the run – and, of course, to the full range of academic offerings that drew them here.

Hundreds of students and staff will help new students move into their residence halls and help them find their way around Cornell. Orientation leaders will work in shifts around campus on Move-In Day Aug. 22 and will support nearly 30 events during Orientation Weekend.

Friday, Aug. 22, features New Student Check-in, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Barton Hall, where students pick up their ID cards and learn about campus office resources; tours of Uris, Olin and Kroch libraries throughout the day; and a casual reception with President David Skorton, 4-5 p.m. on Rawlings Green. For freshmen, “First Night” of entertainment at the Court-Kay-Bauer Quad, North Campus, 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m., and for transfer students, “First Night: Taste of Ithaca!” in Clark Atrium, Physical Sciences Building, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Skorton will formally welcome incoming students at the New Student Convocation, 8:45-10 a.m. at Schoellkopf Stadium.

Other orientation highlights:

  • Move-In Day R&R with Community Center Programs, TV Lounge, Robert Purcell Community Center and Appel Fireside Lounge, Appel Commons. Relax with games and refreshments; Aug. 22, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Dump and Run – the university’s “yard sale” of recycled furniture, housewares, clothing and electronics – will be held Aug. 23, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., and Aug. 24, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at Helen Newman Hall. Proceeds support local charities.
  • “Cornell Essentials” will feature talks and presentations about how to navigate the university, deal with setbacks, find balance, become a member of Cornell’s intellectual community, and take advantage of the multitude of campus resources available, Saturday, Aug. 23, 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Bailey Hall.
  • Sunday, Aug. 24 entertainment events include Casino Night, 10 p.m. in the Ivy Room, Second Floor, Willard Straight Hall for new transfer students;  “The Great Migration” to Barton Hall’s carnival-like Big Red Blowout for carnival games, giant inflatables, photo booth, snow cones, cotton candy and more at 10:30 p.m.; and free movies, “The Freshman,” at 7:15 p.m., “Vertigo at 9:15 p.m., both at Willard Straight Hall Theatre.
  • “Speak About It,” a performance-based presentation dealing with sexual consent, assault and misconduct, and bystander intervention, is slated for 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 24; and 7:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25, all at Bailey Hall.
  • The Cornell University Block Party will be held Sunday, Aug. 24, 5-8 p.m., at Court-Kay-Bauer Quad, rain location Robert Purcell Community Center and Appel Commons.
  • Workshops held Aug. 24 by Cornell faculty members will focus on arguments of science fiction as critical thinking, the GMO (genetically modified organisms) debate, and how disease has shaped human society and culture, among others.
  • Small-group presentations on the New Student Reading Project, “Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio,” will be held Monday, Aug. 25, at locations that are emailed to students.

Move-in Day traffic, Aug. 22

To facilitate the flow of traffic on Move-in Day:

  • Avoid driving on campus or arranging deliveries of equipment or supplies Aug. 22. Campus Road and the North and West Campus areas will be extremely congested, and special traffic patterns and parking restrictions will be in place.
  • Use TCAT buses and car pools. TCAT schedules can be found at http://www.tcatbus.com/.
  • Jessup Road will be open only for move-in traffic.
  • “A” Lot will be open only for new students and their parents.
  • Garden Avenue between Campus Road and Tower Road will be closed 8 a.m.–5 p.m. during New Student Check-In at Barton Hall. Barricades, signs, and staff will be stationed at both ends of Garden Avenue to assist with traffic. Emergency access will be maintained at all times. Access to the parking lot between Barton Hall and ILR Conference Center will be maintained from Tower Road. 

Media Contact

John Carberry