Students SOAR
seem a daunting task, for the 25 members of the A-Team, it was just another day on the job.
The A-Team is Utah State’s new-student orientation staff. They spent the summer easing the transition for all incoming students when they come to Student Orientation Advising and Registration. At SOAR, the students spent the day learning the ins and outs of USU while parents learned how to help their children transition. A-Team members also tried to answer all the questions from both students and parents.
“You realize on that first day of helping a new student that this rocks,” said Sarah Reale, a student coordinator for the A-Team and a junior majoring in Public Relations. “You really have to be in it for the students, that is the bottom line.” Reale has been on the A-Team for two years and is looking forward to a career working in advising for a university.
Reale is one of three student coordinators on the A-Team who assist Lisa Hancock, the Program Administrator for New Student Orientation. Hancock oversees all of the day-to-day planning and training of the A-Team.
Hancock has been a part of the A-Team for six years and says she still loves her job. Hancock dedicates a lot of her spare time to working with the A-Team each year including planning retreats for the team and planning each team member’s schedule for SOAR down to the hour.
“It’s so hard to describe why I love the A-Team so much,” Hancock said. “I enjoy
seeing [the A-Team] form friendships and build connections around the university. This job stretches your comfort zone and makes you look at some of the functions of the university from a totally different angle.”
The A-Team spent spring semester attending a class taught by Hancock and the student coordinators. The goal of the A-Team training class is to give the team a sense of the key problems that face incoming freshmen and provide accurate information to solve them.
The A-Team also spent a little bit of time brushing up on important university trivia, like the fact that Aggie Ice Cream was the first ice cream to make it to outer space, the bookstore offers 24-hour film developing and the real story behind the True Aggie tradition. All that knowledge was put to good use when SOAR started.
Hancock said the goal of SOAR is to integrate students academically, socially and geographically as well as to help new students feel good about their choice to attend Utah State. SOAR has been in place for more than 25 years. It began as individual half-day summer sessions focusing primarily on helping students register. The job of the A-Team was previously done by volunteers from ASUSU and other campus organizations.
SOAR is now required for all incoming students, with four SOAR options: one-day, two-day, outdoor or online SOAR. Over 2,000 students participated in SOAR this year.
“We are the first to interact with the students who will be attending Utah State that upcoming semester, and you are the first to make them feel welcome and comfortable,” said Kenzie Swensen, a sophomore majoring in art and a current A-Teamer. “Our job is to show them that going to college is fun and exciting and that there are students [here] just like them.”
By 7:30 a.m., each A-Teamer was in their designated station ready and waiting – from setting up workshops in the auditorium and arranging signs in the Taggart Student Center to preparing to direct traffic in the Hub.
The students would generally begin to arrive around 8 a.m. and usually completed their SOAR day by 4 p.m.
“Having the proper knowledge about college is how new students will find their success,” said Karilyn Flake, a two-year veteran of the A-Team and junior majoring in special education, “We are the first people to offer them the knowledge they need to begin their journey to success.”
A-Team members would also meet with small group of students, each could talk candidly, answer questions and explain the general catalog and schedule of classes in depth so each student understood how the university works.
John Reynolds, a senior majoring in business information systems, found a great way to break the ice with new students. Each day, Reynolds came to SOAR with a brown paper sack in his bag. When he met with his small group, he took out the paper sack and stood it up in the middle of the room. Each student was challenged to put their hands behind their back, lift one foot off the ground and pick the sack up with their teeth. This simple activity had most new student laughing within the first two minutes
New students also learned tricks and secrets from the A-Teamers that other students had to figure out through trial and error, such as how to color-code lecture notes or the best place to get warm bread on campus.
“I’ve gone to Utah State for two years without recognizing what the full experience of going here could be. Being on the A-Team really makes you realize what this university has to offer,” said Nelson.
“When people ask me what I have been doing over the summer, it gives me great pride to tell them I work for the A-team at Utah State University,” said Mike Vilven, a senior majoring in aviation technology.
“Truly the A-Team has been a highlight of this past summer, as I’ve met some of my best friends by being a part of it,” said Gentri Seawright, a junior majoring in elementary education.
Staff Sanity, an A-Team tradition, helped to foster those friendships between team members.
“One of the best parts the A-Team experience is Staff Sanity,” Kristi Madsen, a senior majoring in psychology, said. “We hang out, wind down and have a down-right fun time.”
After SOAR, new students and the A-Team have the opportunity to come back a few days before school starts for Connections. During Connections and throughout following school year, each A-Teamer serves as an individual peer mentor for about 30 students.
“Being a part of the A-Team has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have encountered thus far in my life,” Flake said. “Being on the A-Team, I have found my place at Utah State University. [It has] enabled me to make a difference at this University and leave my mark here for many years to come.”
Applications for the A-Team will available in the SOAR office in November.
-etippetts@cc.usu.edu
An A-Teamer directs a small group presentation.
Mike Vilven directs a student to workshops.
Rusty Rigby and Stacy Mecham assists a SOAR student.
Michelle Zimmerman, Mary Austin and Breanne Farnsworth help with SOAR check-in.