The Docket

Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Joseph Maltby

Media Credit: Joseph Maltby

Media Credit: Joseph Maltby

Media Credit: Joseph Maltby

Every year, like the Monarch butterflies for which the monarchy is named, new students migrate to the rich pastures of GMUSOL to join the herd. Though timid at first, these juveniles have the potential to grow into mighty lawyers and start their own, smaller herds (or "firms"). This year, due to an unusually warm winter and thus a longer breeding season for the professors, the class of 1Ls was larger than usual. This strains the delicate balance between natural resources and their consumers. No doubt many of these 1Ls will not survive the cold winter, but their deaths will provide the nutrients that the supporting ecosystem of the law school needs to flourish. Nature is a harsh mistress, but she is beautiful to behold. Truly, these are 1Ls… in the mist.
Due to GMUSOL's increasing reputation and ranking, the Admissions received more acceptances from the offers it sent out than it has in past years. Therefore, even though the school did not make any more offers than it usually does, the incoming class is somewhat larger than it has been in past years. This translated into specific challenges for the Admissions Office. "We had to work on classroom space for break out sessions and develop a better plan for accommodating the lunch crowd," explained Alison Price, Dean of Admissions. A visitor to the law school during orientation would immediately have noticed the lines of 1Ls everywhere: getting food, entering classrooms, having their pictures taken, and generally just milling around.
Planning for orientation has been ongoing for some time. "We start planning for orientation as acceptance letters go out and then really concentrate on coordinating the event (with the SBA and other offices around the law school and on the Arlington campus) after graduation," Price said. For her, the best part of the process is connecting people together. "The most challenging and enjoyable aspect of planning is trying to match mentors and mentees. It is fun to try and pair individuals who have similar backgrounds or interests," Price said, "We are especially proud of our student volunteers, which includes all the mentors. The student volunteers did a great job of welcoming our new students. Their efforts and enthusiasm set the tone for orientation. We couldn't do it without them."
Orientation is a both a social and an educational event. Facing with the daunting task of learning the law, the first step for the new 1Ls is to learn how to perform the basic tasks they will need to do in class. The school thus offers several introductory seminars over the course of orientation. The Library offered their yearly course on how to use the available databases and library collections. Like the Admissions Office, the library had to cope with a larger than usual number of students. Librarians dealt with the problem by scheduling smaller tours for the week after orientation to provide more individual attention. "The students learned a great deal actually, considering the constraints of the classroom environment. The students learned where to check out books and other materials, how to set up their Westlaw/TWEN and Lexis accounts, and also e-mail and listserv information," Librarian Olufemi Cadmus said. The 1ls were reportedly a good group, which bodes well for their ability to overcome the fear of the first semester. "The response was very good. Students asked a lot of questions, which is always a good sign. They learned where to go when they have questions, which is half the battle," Librarian Christine Ciambella said, adding, "We are a friendly, helpful group and we try to make them feel welcome and at ease.
The orientation barbeque was also held in the atrium this year, as opposed to the American Legion Hall where it has been in years past. "In that past, the SBA has held its barbecue off site, but that facility was not available this year. We decided to hold the SBA barbecue in the atrium hoping more people would attend, knowing we wouldn't have to worry about weather, and realizing we could use a microphone as needed. It worked out very well," Price explained. Mentors and mentees were also assigned to "circuits" so that several mentors would be sitting at one table. "We were pleased with the organization of the mentoring groups, which placed everyone in circuits that facilitated introductions and conversation," Price said.
Some downsides of the new arrangement were a certain loss of the casual atmosphere which past barbeques have had, as well as a scramble for seating to eat, as the atrium did not have enough chairs to accommodate everyone. The indoor environment also allowed for music to be played. Unfortunately, the music was rather loud and forced many students to yell in order to be heard. All in all, the Admissions Office is proud of the event, though it will tweak certain aspects of it for next year. "Next year we will send out the orientation books a little earlier so our admitted students have a better sense of what to expect. We will likely adjust the lengths of the break out sessions and expand on the barbecue 'circuit' concept. We are also working on some other surprise concepts." Price offered.
This year's class is different from classes prior, but Price predicts that they will fit in just fine: "It is just a little larger group of interesting and talented people who will contribute to the Mason community. We are delighted to have them all."

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