On Move-In Day, over 200 freshmen drive up the mountain, adrenaline pumping. They’ve seen Carter Tower on social media, but now they’re pulling right up to its doors. They’re prepared to say hello to their new independent adult life.
O-Team leaders smile for the camera after the O-Show. Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023.
Suddenly, a group of dancing upperclassmen usher the newcomers' things to who knows where. A lanyard is thrown on their neck, and before they know it, they're off to meet their roommate for the first time.
O-Week is a longstanding tradition for newcomers at Covenant. They’re pushed through a constant slew of events. While students generally admit that O-Week accomplishes its purpose, many find it draining.
“I felt like they packed our days to keep us from being sad and wanting to go home,” freshman biology major Emma Fuller said.
Over 30 freshmen expressed similar concerns about how jam-packed the week was.
“O-Week was very long and exhausting mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” said Lila Wiley, a freshman soccer player.
One day of O-Week is notoriously difficult for everyone who has ever participated: the Mark 10:45 service project day. It’s hot, and by this time of the week, everyone is drained, but they are cleaning up demolished houses for three hours. At least one student has gotten a serious injury each of the past few years, as well as sickness from breathing in debris particles.
In August, a student cut her leg open lifting a large trash bag that contained glass. Her injury required nine internal stitches and ten external stitches. In August 2022, a student cut their leg open attempting to lift a toilet into a dumpster. In August 2021, a few students stepped on nails.
Covenant has taken a proactive approach to some of these issues. This year, masks and gloves were provided for students to protect themselves from injury or illness. Another change is that there were leaders set inside each dumpster handling the trash to try and avoid injury.
Another concern is the overload of information that freshmen are introduced to in their first week.
Nesha Evans, associate dean of students, said “. . . honestly, the whole point of orientation is to, yes, get students to understand the community and start building community, to have a consistent message about who it is that Covenant College is and this community and culture that they’re now a part of, and also to get them more comfortable with knowing that there are resources available to them that they can utilize here on campus and the faces of those people who provide those resources.”
According to survey results provided by the Student Development office, about 64% of freshmen who voted strongly agreed that O-Week was helpful in acclimating to Covenant. Another 32% agreed with this same statement. In general, the 104 freshmen who voted on the survey were happy with the outcome of O-Week and its purpose.
A strong community is one of the major pillars of Covenant’s mission. O-Week allows the students to connect, whether that’s over a shared feeling of exhaustion or throwing color packets at one another.
“I definitely made some friends that I probably would’ve never talked to if they weren’t in my O-team,” student-athlete Alyssa Freeman commented.
O-Week also allows returning students to get to know the newest additions to the Scots community.
“I feel more connected to this class of freshman than in years past . . . even though O-Week wasn’t aimed or designed to benefit me specifically. When you spend so many hours a day with a set group of people in an accelerated amount of time, some type of connection inevitably grows from that. I think that type of culture is exactly what the Center for Student Success aimed to foster,” senior O-team leader Megan Rouse stated.
Ultimately, freshman feedback is what has the most pull on these decisions. A survey is sent out by Student Success every year to evaluate O-Week. Freshmen are encouraged to fill this survey out honestly.