Members of Freshman Class Council said the Academic Orientation Program could use some fine tuning, and they created a bill suggesting how to do just that.
The Academic Orientation Program, or AOP, aims to prepare incoming freshmen for their college experiences at MSU.
"The bill is a statement that tells exactly what we're looking for in orientation, the stuff we didn't like and what we'd like to see added," said Chris Lopez, Freshman Class Council president. "The main goal is for it to be more effective, in that it provides a better transition into college from high school."
The bill, which the group will propose to ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, on March 16, suggests strengthening presentations as well as providing mock classes so that incoming freshmen can adjust to larger class sizes.
June Youatt, assistant provost for undergraduate education and dean of undergraduate studies, said the program struggles to provide a lot of information to students in a short amount of time.
"One of the constraints is how much you can do in 24 hours," Youatt said. "We really are confined to the time we have for students. (The program) really is preparation for the academic transition."
Lopez said he attended AOP last summer and didn't "get a feel of what he'd gotten himself into" for the next four years.
"You're not just going to MSU," Lopez said. "You're going to be in East Lansing and Lansing.
"It's really helpful to have presentations that actually get you into what you're living in, how to develop a social life, where to do that and how to get the most out of college."
Youatt said she receives "very positive" feedback from evaluations given to students and parents following orientation.
But nutritional science freshman Gabrielle Yezbick said she did not have a good AOP experience.
"They did a lot of unnecessary things," Yezbick said. "I didn't get anything from some of the presentations they gave. They kind of dragged out the process, but it's interesting to get a sneak peek of the university."
Removing the overnight stay, improving the presentations and eliminating "what it means to be a Spartan" would make the program more enjoyable, Yezbick said.
Marketing freshman Ashley Bay said she enjoyed the presentations given during the program.
"The speakers got us excited about State," Bay said.
Lopez said the program can be beneficial, but he felt a lack of support from staff members.
"This is a measure to make things better," Lopez said. "The bill is not to downsize the AOP we have now. (The program) created a network of friends upon arrival. There were a lot of great things. This is just to help it get better."
