UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 1, Page 2
September 1, 1994
Freshmen get to know each other-UD style

     More than 1,700 freshmen celebrated their new status as
University of Delaware students at Playfair, billed as the ultimate
ice breaker.
     Undeterred by rain, the freshmen streamed into Carpenter Gym on
Monday for an awesome get-together, emceed by Jerry Ewen, a founder of
Playfair-a program used for freshman orientation at schools throughout
the United States and Canada. YoUDee, the Blue Hen mascot, and the
University cheerleaders also were on hand for the festivities.
      The students mixed it up with enthusiasm, grouping and
regrouping according to the color of their shoes or the month of their
birthdays. They engaged in all kinds of activities with groups and
partners-from a back-to-back boogie to the bees-knees stomp (where
everyone "marched" around a circle holding onto the person ahead while
resting on the knees of the person behind them).
     The freshmen affirmed their unity as new Blue Hens and their own
individuality through a series of Playfair exercises.
     There are three things to be aware of in college, Ewen pointed
out: focus, your own expectations and personal relationships. The
group demonstrated focus by pulling out imaginary pistols and firing
them in the air, their "feisty, determined selfhood" by holding up
their hands and roaring like tigers, then blew kisses as symbols of
relationships.
     In another exercise, Ewen pointed out that frustration is a part
of life, leading the group in a "how to start an argument" exercise,
ending in reconciliation.
     "What people need when they are having 'one of those days,' is
community support," Ewen said. A dozen student volunteers having "one
of those days" came on stage and got a standing ovation, showing
support from the group.
     Ewen encouraged the students to greet their Playfair friends when
they meet on campus and ended the program with an empowerment exercise
everyone celebrating everyone's "special, outrageous selves" and the
energy of supportive people around them.
     According to Rob Longwell-Grice, assistant director of housing
and residence life, who was the liaison with Playfair, the program was
a success, with new students mingling, having fun and getting to know
each other.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure