Donald Keough, Editor-in-Chief
A first-of-its-kind reunion event, Return to East Quad, was hosted on East Quad on Oct. 9 as sophomores were invited to return to their old stomping grounds.
The event featured student bands, fire pits and $4 off at the Bandersnatch. Sophomores also had the chance to write a note to their old rooms in East Quad.
“We want to make this return [to East Quad] an annual event,” Ausmer said. “So this will be the flagship event for the fall for sophomores.”
The event kicked off a slew of new programming catered toward sophomores. This new programming will continue through the academic year and includes a service day, a fall festival, a leadership program, an off-campus trip and an end-of-year celebration, according to Dr. Nicole Ausmer, the Senior Associate Vice President of Student Life.
Ausmer said colleges often roll out the red carpet for first-year students, then expect them to have launched by their second year.
“And so here at Denison, we wanted to take a more intentional approach,” Ausmer said.
Ausmer also said that other class years already have built-in structure. First-year students have the First-Year Experience office. Many juniors study abroad, and those who stay often have an established community. Seniors spend their year at career and graduate school fairs.
“So we wanted to create something for the sophomores, and we’re looking at it in four different veins,” Ausmer said.
These veins will be the program’s guiding goals, and currently fall under these categories: more experiences, more engagement, more leadership, more connections.
In late October, sophomores will be invited to do community service in Licking County as part of Make a Difference Day. A fall festival will follow that evening, and while it will be open to the entire campus, sophomores who attend will receive a T-shirt and be entered for prizes.
The university is also creating a sophomore leadership experience based on Gallup’s strengths assessment, CliftonStrengths assessment, formerly known as StrengthsFinder. The assessment typically costs $20 to $25 when purchased individually. Denison will cover the cost for up to 30 students, who will also receive leadership training. A celebration will follow once participants finish the program.
In the spring, a leadership kickoff will train sophomores to take on roles such as president or vice president of student organizations.
The university also plans an off-campus trip over a long weekend in February or March, separate from spring break. First-year students will travel to one city and sophomores to another, with Buffalo, New York, and Chicago under consideration. Last year, first-year students traveled to Buffalo, near Niagara Falls, and toured the Buffalo Bills’ stadium.
The trips come after the university ended its long overnight orientation trips. This year’s sophomores were the last class to take them. Ausmer said the university is focusing on smaller trips for now but did not rule out longer ones in the future.
“We’re not in a place where we’re taking 40 students for long overnight, but we can do some of the smaller trips,” Ausmer said.
A “halfway there” celebration, set tentatively for May 4, is also in the works. The office of Student Life hopes the event will mark sophomores’ completion of their first two years on the Hill.
Although the sophomore experience is in its first year, Ausmer said it is not a trial run.
“We’re not testing it out. We are launching,” Ausmer said.
A sophomore experience website is expected soon. It will include monthly events and things for sophomores to consider, such as choosing a major, studying abroad and pursuing internships. Events will also be posted on WhatToDU.
The sophomore experience program was planned by a committee of Student Life staff and others from across the university, including the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration and global programs. Some existing programs, such as the Journey program, which runs over fall break and in January, are now part of the sophomore experience.
Ausmer said the sophomore experience has been brought together through a number of departments and that none are “little storefronts on [their] own,” Ausmer said.
Additionally, Ausmer said the program does not take resources away from other areas. Much of it repackages existing programming for sophomores.
“We always have space in the budget for new ideas and new initiatives,” Ausmer said. “Hopefully, people feel like it’s enhancing campus overall.”
To gauge student feedback, Ausmer said, the university will draw on focus groups that Dr. Ricardo Hall, vice president for student life, holds for each class. The university will also add questions to Residential Community’s annual housing survey rather than sending new surveys.
“Students are oversurveyed here,” Ausmer said.
Nationally, sophomore year is a common time for students to transfer. Ausmer said Denison’s retention across all four class years is strong, and the main goal of the program is to enhance the sophomore experience rather than address students leaving.
“I want them to say that was one of the best decisions I made in my life, and so we’re hoping that this will contribute to that,” Ausmer said.
Ausmer said sophomores also face particular pressure around mental health.
“That’s something that they experience a little bit differently because it’s almost this belief that they should have plans for the future,” Ausmer said. “Some feel that if they’re not first-year students, they should know what’s going on.”
Ausmer said she did not figure out her own path until the fall of her senior year of college. She said it is “perfectly okay” for sophomores to still be deciding.
“I love the liberal arts because it gives you a little bit more time to sit in that what if or what about,” Ausmer said.