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They may not have known it, but freshmen entering
Schreiner this fall were the first students to participate
in several exciting new programs at the university—
from working their way through a challenging new
ropes course on campus to being paired up with a staff
member in the new Connections program.
Schreiner—like many other universities—has struggled
with retention in the past. Each year, some freshmen don’t return to Schreiner for their sophomore year. In an effort to address this issue, university administrators conducted a survey of last year’s freshmen class.
“After looking at the results, we realized we had to make
some changes to improve the freshman experience,” said
Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services Peg
Layton.
First, a majority of freshmen polled said they didn’t want
to go off campus during Welcome Week. For years, freshmen have been shuttled to Mo Ranch Conference Center in Hunt for an overnight stay. At Mo Ranch, incoming students participated in numerous activities including swimming, canoeing and completing a ropes course. A ropes course consists of several obstacles that require a team to work together in order to complete. According to the survey, the freshmen enjoyed the activities—especially the ropes course—but didn’t
want to leave campus during their first weekend.
So, in response to this, the university constructed a low
ropes course on campus this past summer. The course is
located on the southeast side of campus. Campus Recreation Director Erin Saluta is trained as the course facilitator.
Also during Welcome Week, the freshmen met with their academic advisors—this too was implemented in response to feedback from students. “Freshmen indicated that meeting their academic advisors for the first time in November during spring registration wasn’t enough—they wanted to develop relationships earlier in the semester and meet with them more frequently,” Layton explained.
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