This year’s Orientation committee has been working to create a more in-depth Diversity Walkthrough, an event that discusses diversity through performances. This year, the program will be composed of five rooms with different themes: allyship and advocacy, gender and sexuality, socioeconomic class, race and racial identity, intersectionality and mental health and disability.

The theme of this year’s Orientation is “Remember Yesterday, Explore Today, Brighten Tomorrow,” which encourages students “to remember their experiences, remember history and, when it comes to school, remember the values it was founded on and what has happened in the history of the institution,” Orientation CORE Committee Coordinator Maggie Ziegel ’18 said.

“Explore today means look around. Choose to be curious. Don’t accept things just as they are. Find ways to hold you school accountable, find ways to celebrate your school, find every opportunity you can so that you can have a brighter tomorrow,” Ziegel continued.

One of the new Orientation events is a program about social justice. The event will feature and celebrate faculty, alumni and others connected to Brandeis who are doing remarkable work with the concept of social justice. This will hopefully inspire students “to see their potential in contributing to a brighter future,” Ziegel said.

Additional programming includes a Brandeis history event, where students can see the “history of activism and social justice” at Brandeis and how it is related to “where the school has been, is and where it is going,” Ziegel explained.

The nighttime social event format has changed dramatically. “Instead of having two every night, there is one bigger, better and longer party during the evenings that caters both to high-energy students and students who are looking for something a little more low-key,” Ziegel said.

Rachel Groth ’19 applied to be an Orientation Leader (OL) because she wants “to help new students with the huge transition process that comes with moving away to college. I feel that I experienced my fair share of academic, social and personal challenges in my first year of college, and I would love to be a resource to help first-years overcome their own challenges,” Groth said.

Benji Kemper ’19 enjoyed his own Orientation and decided to be an OL so he can bring his enthusiasm and energy to campus. “I also want to make activities that make it easy to make friends outside of their OL groups,” Kemper said.

The Orientation CORE Committee consists of Ziegel, Philip Cooper ’18, Charlotte Aaron ’18 (Features Editor at The Brandeis Hoot) and Deena Fisch ’18. Director of Orientation Jenny Abdou and Assistant Director of First-Year Programs and Orientation Scott Berozi worked with the four students throughout the year. Together, the committee plans the Orientation theme and the events focused around that theme.

“The process is definitely a unique one. The opportunity to completely create something from start to finish over 10 months has been amazing. We are all looking forward to seeing our events in action, as we have been imagining and envisioning them for months now. I think the most rewarding part will be seeing the students at the events having fun! I cannot wait to watch people enjoy what we have created,” Ziegel said.

Ziegel hopes that coming out of Orientation, new students will understand and recognize their “confidence in their importance and worth,” at Brandeis. She also said that the Orientation Committee wants students “to come away from orientation feeling as though they are ready to engage with Brandeis in whatever way that means to them.”

“I really hope to help my orientation group get everything they can out of orientation and help them build a path to a successful first year,” Groth added. She hopes to be able to share her own first-year experience with new students and help them with any challenges they might experience.

“Overall we are trying to instill with the new students that they are part of the Brandeis fabric. Each person coming to this school next year is invaluable, their voice is important, and they should fully participate in celebrating Brandeis, as well as making sure to always be curious, ask the question and fight for change,” Ziegel said.