By Allison Mudge

For freshmen and transfer students, orientation serves as an introduction to life at Northeastern and Boston. It will be up to 30 newly-trained Orientation Leaders (OLs) to give transfers and the class of 2010 their first taste of life on campus.

Members of the freshman class will arrive on campus June 20 for the first of eight freshman orientation sessions.

The orientation program has undergone several changes this year, Student Coordinator of Orientation Greg Chick said in an e-mail.

OLs will spend more time with their orientees, and the group has created a program called “City Living – the Ins and Outs of Life at Northeastern.” The program and other activities will help incoming students understand and appreciate the diversity of Northeastern and Boston in general, Chick said.

Chick, now a middler, became an OL last year as a computer science major.

“I think my mentality at that time was to represent the college of computer science, which is ironic now,” he said. His OL experience helped inspire him to change his major to communications, he said.

Chick now assists with the planning and implementation of orientation sessions and oversees the scheduling of the OL staff. He also helps with OL training and evaluations.

The process of preparing for orientation began in January, when prospective OLs completed applications, said Associate Director of New Student Orientation Beth Rosenbleet in an e-mail.

Choosing each year’s OLs is a selective process, Rosenbleet said.

Normally, 70 to 80 students apply for only 30 OL positions.

Sophomore OL Bobby O’Neill, a communications major, worked with peer leader groups in high school, and said the idea of helping new students in college appealed to him.

“For the last four summers I worked at CVS,” O’Neill said. “I wanted a job that was vastly different than working in a pharmacy.”

After completing their applications, potential OLs interviewed with two of the selection committee members, consisting of university staff and former OLs, and participated in a group interview. Positions were offered by Spring Break, Rosenbleet said.

The hired OLs attended spring training classes and a retreat that stressed teamwork skills. OLs receive training in sexual harassment, public speaking and ethical decision-making.

Last August, nine OLs were forced to resign after a report was submitted by an OL supervisor about their attendance at an illegal party where alcohol was served. The incident was discussed with this year’s OLs, Chick said. The OLs will have to sign the same contract as last year, he said, which still includes regulations about drinking on campus.

“We discussed it and it’s in the contract, so it’s not really a new issue,” Chick said.

They perform a run-through of the orientation schedule and rehearse meetings they will have with their orientees, Chick said.

“There are just a lot of pluses [to being an OL],” said sophomore communications major Zack Nicholson. “I was part of a freshman mentoring program in high school. It’s a good opportunity for meeting people and networking.”

The new set of OLs said they have high expectations for their experiences with the orientees.

“I’m expecting a lot of questions from the kids,” said Joe Falinski, a sophomore OL majoring in pharmacy. “I’m expecting a lot of them just being nervous and wanting to meet new people.”

Parents remain an important part of orientation, said Chick. There is a separate program dedicated to introducing them to the Northeastern campus and the resources available to them and their student. In addition to the eight freshman sessions, there are three orientations for transfer students. There is also a session in September for freshmen and transfers, which includes mostly international students, Chick said.

One of his best experiences as a member of the orientation team is influencing future students’ first impressions of life at the university, Chick said.

“There’s the opportunity to affect new students and get them excited about coming to NU,” he said.