Summer DelaWorld set June 21-July 20

DelaWorld leaders assemble 4,000 student and 4,000 parent DelaWorld packets.

3:42 p.m., June 17, 2005--As the radio plays in Trabant University Center, 15 student leaders move to the music in an assembly line. They are knee-deep in boxes and papers preparing to kick off their work for this summer’s DelaWorld.

Scheduled weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., June 21-July 20 (except for July 1 and 4), the one-day DelaWorld programs are designed to give both students and parents an overview of campus life and provide them with firsthand advice regarding the academic and social challenges that lie ahead.

David Gibson, a junior management and marketing major and a first-year DelaWorld leader, said that to enliven the task of assembling approximately 4,000 student and 4,000 parent DelaWorld packets, he challenged a fellow leader to a contest to see who can put together more packets.

Mike McCloskey, assistant director of admissions and DelaWorld director, said the packets contain a wide range of information about UD for students and parents. “There is information from a variety of places,” he said. “There are flyers from dining services, public safety, student health, housing and the counseling center to name a few.”

McCloskey predicts UD will be hosting approximately 3,700 new UD students and parents between Tuesday, June 21, and Tuesday, July 20.

“As DelaWorld leaders, we will be answering questions, sharing our personal experiences and providing any other information we can to help,” Melanie Mitchell, a 2004 graduate of the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy and a three-year DelaWorld veteran, said.

“The major goal of DelaWorld is to make things fun and ease any fears freshmen have about coming to college,” Gison said.

Andrew Swiatowicz, a senior biology major, said that during DelaWorld days he offers advice and answers a number of questions.

“Parents often say, ‘Now that you told us all the good stuff on tours, tell us what the school is really like.’” Swiatowicz said he tells them, “All that good stuff is what this school is really like.”

The advice he most commonly gives to students is to make certain to manage their time and not to be afraid to talk to professors and in class, he said.

“I see people in the spring semester I met at DelaWorld who come up to me and tell me they have used the advice I gave them,” Emily Smith, a senior psychology major, said.

Melanie Mitchell, CHEP ‘04, and Andrew Swiatowicz, AS 2006, are veteran Delaworld leaders.

After DelaWorld leaders finish their 13 days of training this week, they are well-equipped to answer any questions or concerns parents or students might have, McCloskey said.

“Every day we practice answering questions from ‘the bucket of questions’ to help students think about how they will want to answer different questions,” he said. “This exercise also allows them to hear how one student might answer a particular question, which helps them develop their own answers.”

“The student leaders [come from] a wide variety of majors, activities and backgrounds,” Swiatowicz said.

DelaWorld student leaders will host separate morning programs for parents and students. After reuniting for lunch, parents and students part again for afternoon sessions, including “Parents Like You” panel sessions and fall course registration sessions for new students.

“We will be presenting the same information to both parents and students but just in a different way,” McCloskey said.

Besides meeting other new students and parents and becoming more familiar with UD surroundings, DelaWorld involves many other activities.

New students will be discussing their fall course selections with an adviser and registering for fall classes. They will receive their new UD#1 Cards and set their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) for access to UD’s computing system. And, they will be given the chance to sign up for online bill payment.

DelaWorld also will give students a chance to attend special information sessions on campus diversity, services for students with learning disabilities and student life. During DelaWorld, students can meet representatives from athletics, music, religious organizations, student media and many other student groups.

Meanwhile, parents will be attending sessions about academic and student life at UD. They also will learn more about billing, financial aid, housing, student health, computing, banking, dining and more.

For more information about DelaWorld, visit [www.udel.edu/admissions/viewbook/delaworld/expect.html] or call (302) 831-8125.

Article by Leah Conway, AS’06
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

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