New Students Invited to ‘Embrace Emerson’

First-year and transfer students were welcomed to Emerson in a bunch of different ways at the Embrace Emerson orientation event Tuesday, August 27.

They heard addresses from President Lee Pelton, Campus Chaplain Julie Avis Rogers, SGA President Raz Moayed ’20, and Vice President of Campus Life Jim Hoppe. There was comedy (“Did you know our football team has a goat on it?”), drumming, a huge finale dance number that filled the stage of the Cutler Majestic Theatre.

And parodies. Wow were there parodies.

There was Carpool Karaoke with Steven Martin, director of new student programs and transitions; Griff the Lion (great at whipping up a crowd, terrible singer); and Emerson College Police Sgt. Carmelo Serrano (no slouch when it comes to belting out “Old Town Road”). Emerson’s own “Fab 5” gave the Queer Eye treatment to any lingering first-year anxiety in a pre-recorded video.

But most of the morning’s advice, encouragement, and warnings can be summarized by a list of Top 10 Tips, presented by “Weekday Update,” a riff on SNL‘s Weekend Update starring Associate Dean of Campus Life Erik Muurisepp and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Sharon Duffy, with special guest Jason (“JasON”) Meier, director of student engagement and leadership.

Here’s what new (and not new) students need to know, courtesy of Campus Life:

1. At the intersection of Boylston and Tremont, you can cross diagonally when both walk signals are on. Save yourself some time.
2. Let people exit the elevator or T car before you get on. And when walking through a set of double doors, always go through the right hand side. It helps keep traffic moving!
3. Busier is not always better. You may have the idea that in order to be successful, you have to be part of 12 organizations and constantly be busy. We challenge you to think about how and where you spend your time — find your balance — and make sure you eat and sleep. And no, coffee is not a substitution for sleep. Sorry.
4. Self-care does not mean completely checking out from life and responsibilities — it means daily steps to avoid stress from building up.
5. Be open to meeting and learning from people who are different than you. Embrace new thoughts and ideas.
6. Developing friendships takes time and effort. For many of you, this is the first time in a while that you have had to make new friends. So remember, every opportunity you have to talk to someone is an opportunity to make a new friend! Start with a smile and a hello!
7. You don’t have to do it all right now — if an opportunity presents itself now, it will most likely come around again. There are very few once-in-a-lifetime things at Emerson.
8. If you don’t get every part, job, or position you go for, it is O.K. We know you’ll be disappointed, but take it as a learning opportunity. Consider the feedback and try again. We have all been there!
9. Faculty, staff, and your peers are all here to help you in your success. We are all on your side and will challenge you to do better and be better. We hope you will do the same for us.
10. Everyone at Emerson, including you, has a story to tell. Whether it is your own or in support of someone else, tell those stories. And be sure to always make time to listen to others’ too.

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