By Ben Rosenberg
John Cabot University’s new
orientation program First Voyage is off to a good start.
The program, which was
adopted by JCU in the Spring 2009, was designed to keep students enrolled in
the university by helping them to adjust and assimilate to their new environment.
This means learning about the local culture and traditions, as well as JCU’s
educational system.
Carmen Scarpati, of the
Registrar’s Office, came up with the program while working towards her PHD in
business administration in higher education management at the University of
Bath. She wanted to develop a program that would foster a sense of community
among students while at the same time enable them to feel comfortable and
independent in their new environment.
This sense of community is
especially needed at a diverse university such as JCU, she said.
The program is made up of a
number of workshops that cover a wide range of topics including but not limited
to money management, time and study management, student counseling and career
services.
One of the major components in
the First Voyage program are the library workshops. The library workshops explain what resources are available
to students in the library from the online catalogue to the skills necessary to
track down a specific title.
“It is necessary for students
to take a hands-on approach in learning about library resources,” said Livia
Piotto, JCU’s reference librarian, about the workshops that will run from the
21 – 24 September. “Just sitting there listening to
someone talk won’t do. In the
workshops, students will collaborate with each other to learn about the
practical applications of the library’s facilities.” She also stressed the importance of approaching the
experienced library workers whenever a student needs help.
The other program of interest
is First Mates. In this program a current student is teamed up with a staff
member and a group of 10-12 new students to help them through their first
year. This is a way for students to
have a small “support group” to turn to for assistance and guidance.
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