When I signed up to be a Peer Adviser for Wildcat Welcome 2007, I had no idea I was signing up for a New Student Week revolution.
Oh, I remember the good ‘ol days from New Student Week 2006: going through AlcoholEdu; watching the “You are Northwestern” video; saying, “Hi!” to my Peer Adviser on Sheridan Road, only to realize she had no idea who I was.
So when I ran to Scott Hall to sign up for my Peer Advising interview, my expectations of the week included keeping in touch by e-mail, answering registration questions and arriving to campus a full week early to get in plenty of friend-reunion time. (Full disclosure: The author is the News Editor for North by Northwestern. She does not, however, edit stories related to New Student Week.)
When training began, we were told that New Student Week was going to be different, which we all agreed was a good thing. Hopefully, no freshman would go through the week without even meeting his or her Peer Adviser.
Little did I know how much our role would change.
First was the expectation to become a professional mover and an alcohol/diversity discussion-leading extraordinaire. Add in the need to master every detail of Medill distribution requirements and registration, and the responsibility became pretty overwhelming.
The job only became more strenuous when Wildcat Welcome arrived. The 7:15 a.m. check-in time for move-in day was brutal. Running up and down flights of stairs while carrying suitcases, fans, refrigerators and the occasional crate of mangos made us question how professional moving men could still have a beer gut. Equally puzzling was the fact that when you help students move into a dorm without an elevator, everyone lives on the fourth floor.
I think my proudest moment was balancing a upside-down desk chair on my shoulders. That, or watching a mom struggle to even pick up a suitcase to hand to me.
Wildcat Welcome challenged us in other ways too. We were all concerned about the talks on alcohol and diversity — we didn’t have much experience in leading such an important discussion. Nevertheless, the discussions went well. Since the freshmen experienced every Essential NU with their peer advising groups, there was enough trust between students to create a meaningful talk.
Also, I noticed that having the freshmen and transfer students experience their Essential NUs together ensured they spent plenty of time with each other. Peer Advising groups acted as a safety net of friendly faces for students to return to. Last year, I remember wondering what the point of the Peer Advising group was, since I knew no one. In my group, the students quickly learned each other’s names and started hanging out with each other.
Even with the early wake-up calls, sore muscles and the fatigue, getting to know my Peer Advising group made my Wildcat Welcome 2007. I had the privilege to meet 15 excited freshmen whose enthusiasm made me realize why I’m here at Northwestern.