Many Notre Dame students will arrive on campus this weekend and spend their time catching up with friends, organizing rooms and preparing for another semester of college. But for the incoming freshman Class of 2014, the weekend will be a long process of moving into an unfamiliar dorm, meeting new classmates and beginning to participate in the exciting, and somewhat awkward, experience that is Freshman Orientation, or Frosh-O.With many of the incoming freshmen forming their impressions of their new dorm and the University itself, members of the Frosh-O staffs say they are making every effort to personalize the move-in experience and make the transition as easy as possible for new residents.“We want to make sure that we welcome every single individual guy and make him feel at home,” junior Mitch Speer, Frosh-O commissioner for Carroll Hall, said. “Since we’re a small dorm, one individual student is 1 percent of my hall so we try and create a community atmosphere.”Other dorms see the move-in process as the ideal time to begin fostering relationships between the freshmen and their new home.“Throughout the move-in process, we want them to feel as comfortable as possible,” sophomore Mairin Talerico, Lewis Hall Frosh-O staff member, said. “We want to help them break out of their shells and become a part of this new family.”Several Frosh-O staff members said they understand that their efforts during the first weekend can potentially influence the freshmen’s attitudes about their next four years at Notre Dame. “We want to give the best impression of Notre Dame so that they start their first days of college with a positive attitude,” junior Kathleen McKiernan, Howard Hall Frosh-O commissioner, said. “It’s important that we give them a feeling of a place they want to be — their ‘home away from home.’”New Howard Duck Lily Rodgers said when she walked up to register at her new hall that “everyone knew my name and who I was, which was really cool.”Throughout the weekend, many of Notre Dame’s newest students have similarly felt welcomed to campus despite the chaos that surrounds the initial move to college.“So far everyone’s been really helpful and welcoming,” Morrissey Manor freshman Matt Hickey said. “The hall staff’s been outgoing and introducing themselves, but it’s still been pretty crazy trying to move everything in.”Freshman Andrea Rosado, a new resident of Pangborn Hall, said she “definitely” sees herself at home in Pangborn Hall and said her Frosh-O staff was very friendly. “The transition has been really easy,” she said. “I’m not nervous at all.”Easing the transition to Notre Dame requires a lot of time and effort on behalf of the Frosh-O staffs on campus, but most coordinators agree that the easiest way to make the new students welcome is to reach out and be a friend to the new freshmen.“We just try and be ourselves,” Speer said. “Our staff was picked for a reason. We put on a happy face and get these guys in the dorm and just make sure they enjoy themselves.”
Close Forgot password? Please put in your email: Send me my password! Close message Login This blog post All blog posts Subscribe to this blog post’s comments through… RSS Feed Subscribe via email Subscribe Subscribe to this blog’s comments through… RSS Feed Subscribe via email Subscribe Follow the discussion Comments (6) Logging you in… Close Login to IntenseDebate Or create an account Username or Email: Password: Forgot login? Cancel Login Close WordPress.com Username or Email: Password: Lost your password? Cancel Login Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout Logged in as Admin Options Disable comments for this page Save Settings Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity Loading comments… You are about to flag this comment as being inappropriate. Please explain why you are flagging this comment in the text box below and submit your report. The blog admin will be notified. Thank you for your input. +10 Vote up Vote down turkeyleg · 229 weeks ago Be sure and send Mr Zech the bill for this. It should not be paid by the taxpayer. He knew there were burn bans all over the state. If he didn’t then he should be fined and billed then maybe next time he’ll be a little more careful. Report Reply 1 reply · active 229 weeks ago +5 Vote up Vote down Oh boy · 229 weeks ago You may want to check your info, I don’t believe we were in any burn bans. Report Reply +1 Vote up Vote down Farmer · 229 weeks ago I have said for years that Sumner County should have a burn permit system like Kingman county has. Our County commissioners don’t agree. Mr. Zech should be held accountable for the entire bill that it cost us taxpayers for his neglect. This open burning of vast acres of land must be stopped. I am a Sumner County Farmer. We need a better permit system for open burning. Report Reply 0 replies · active 229 weeks ago +4 Vote up Vote down informed · 229 weeks ago Mr. Zech lives in Idaho currently Report Reply 1 reply · active 229 weeks ago +5 Vote up Vote down Big D · 229 weeks ago So send the bill to his mailing address in Idaho or just add it to his taxes Report Reply +4 Vote up Vote down Oldman · 229 weeks ago Thank all of the volunteer fireman that assisted Wellington Fire. Sumner County needs a better burn permit system as well as a better way of communicating with the various fire departments. Report Reply 0 replies · active 229 weeks ago Post a new comment Enter text right here! Comment as a Guest, or login: Login to IntenseDebate Login to WordPress.com Login to Twitter Go back Tweet this comment Connected as (Logout) Email (optional) Not displayed publicly. Name Email Website (optional) Displayed next to your comments. Not displayed publicly. If you have a website, link to it here. Posting anonymously. Tweet this comment Submit Comment Subscribe to None Replies All new comments Comments by IntenseDebate Enter text right here! Reply as a Guest, or login: Login to IntenseDebate Login to WordPress.com Login to Twitter Go back Tweet this comment Connected as (Logout) Email (optional) Not displayed publicly. Name Email Website (optional) Displayed next to your comments. Not displayed publicly. If you have a website, link to it here. Posting anonymously. Tweet this comment Cancel Submit Comment Subscribe to None Replies All new comments Clarification:  In the following article about the fire east of town, Wellington Fire Chief Tim Hay said it was not a wheat field fire but a controlled burn of debris that got out of control.Sumner Newscow report — A control burn of debris got out of control Thursday afternoon.Twenty firefighters with 11 apparatus responded to a 911 call at 3:07 p.m. The Wellington Fire Department and four other fire departments battled the 500-acre grass fire at 930 E. 10th Avenue, east of Wellington. The fire was fought in difficult terrain, and was declared under control at 5:35 p.m.Richard Zech is the owner of property. He lost $100 in straw. There were no injuries.The fire departments at Oxford, Belle Plaine, Mulvane and Valdeverde Townships provided mutual aid. REC Electric was also present. Apparatus included seven brush trucks, three tenders, and one Chief’s pickup.Follow us on Twitter.