By Ryan Payne, News Correspondent
Student leaders and university officials welcomed the incoming class of 2014 to the Northeastern community Monday, discussing opportunities for the next five years.
Almost all 2,800 members of from the incoming class filled Mathews Arena.
Student Government Association President Ryan Fox spoke followed by President Joseph Aoun and student leader Jordan Clark, a senior who just finished a co-op at the White House.
Fox asked students several questions in an effort to provoke academic interests and encourage student life participation.
‘How many students are thinking about studying and going abroad? Raise your hand,’ Fox said.
More than half of the students in the arena raised their hands.
Fox stressed the importance of actively taking part in student life.
‘From your very first day on campus, you will learn that our organizations are much more than clubs, and that you will have an unparalleled opportunity to build leadership skills, make lasting friendships, and gain experience leading projects and possibly entire organizations; one of you could even potentially become our student body president,’ he said.
Fox also assured students of the many resources that are available on campus.
‘We have over 200 student organizations, including advocacy bodies, cultural organizations, fraternities, sororities, honors societies, performing arts groups and more,’ he said. ‘If you already know your major, great. If not, there are plenty of resources out there to help, like our major-specific student organizations.’
Next spoke President Aoun, who welcomed the students to the community and looked towards the future.
Aoun said the admissions department received more than 34,000 applications for 2,800 spots, making this the highest number of applications received for a first year at Northeastern.
Freshman journalism student Miki Onwudinjo said one of the reasons she chose Northeastern was because of the co-op program.
‘I am expecting to gain a more professional education, something different from high school,’ Onwudinjo said.
Co-op, currently in its 100th year at NU, helps students build leadership, Aoun said. He also made sure to explain that leadership is not a trait that should be taken for granted.
‘Leadership is not given forever. Leadership is challenged, redefined, and extended,’ Aoun said.
Aoun also assured students of the normalcy behind switching majors several times.
‘Usually students on average nationwide- change their major three times,’ he said. ‘Why is this? Because you are joining an institution that is very rich and very diverse in all matters. In fact we offer over 170 disciplines.’
To even further assure students and parents and ease the transition Aoun said, ‘we are all undecided when we start. That’s the beauty behind being in a rich environment.’
Before the incoming class left the arena, Clark, an African American Studies and Political Science major, spoke about his experiences as an intern in the White House Department of Communications.
Clark encouraged students to give back to the university community, explaining his involvement in leading seminars with the Northeastern Lead 360 program, raising school spirit as Northeastern’s Mayor of Huntington Avenue, living as a Resident Assistant to the first year students in Stetson West and becoming president of the Northeastern Black Student Association.
‘You will take away so much – new ideas, exciting experiences, great friendships and an expansive foundation of knowledge,’ he said. ‘But don’t let this time pass by without leaving your mark – both on campus and in the world beyond.’
