August 17, 2009

Contact:   Bill Giduz

Members of the field hockey team and several other Davidson sports squads have already been on campus for a week undergoing pre-season training.

Davidson College will greet the 491 members of the incoming Class of 2013 (254 women and 237 men from 41 states and 18 other countries) with Orientation activities Wednesday, Aug. 19 to Wednesday, Aug. 26 designed to equip them to make the most of their Davidson experience. Some events are strictly informational, others are recreational or bonding experiences, and several emphasize the college's expectations for student character and academic performance. Highlights include:

• President Tom Ross and about 100 upperclass volunteer "Orientation Team" members will help new students and their parents move into their residence halls by hefting boxes and suitcases Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. The students will also help with move-in on Thursday morning.

• The members of the entering class will circulate through Alvarez College Union on Thursday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. to receive their Cat Cards, laundry, campus work assignments, post office keys and other necessities of campus life.

• "President's Convocation" Thursday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m. in Davidson College Presbyterian Church. President Thomas W. Ross and Alumni Director Peter Wagner will introduce students and their parents to Davidson history and traditions.

• "Academics at Davidson," Friday, Aug. 21, at 9 a.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall. A panel comprised of a student, professor and administrator will offer first-year students tips to keep in mind for ensuring a successful academic career. With that information in mind, students will spend the rest of the day in groups and individually planning their class schedules with their academic advisers.

• "Farewell Luncheon" Friday, Aug. 21, at 12:30 p.m. Parents and students enjoy a picnic luncheon together under the oaks on front campus. Parents then leave campus, and the following two days of student orientation activities will continue without them.

• "A Community of Respect" session Friday, Aug. 21, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall. The college's upperclass health advisers will enact skits that demonstrate proper and improper ways of communicating with peers about potentially delicate topics such as sexual orientation, sexual assault, and alcohol problems.

President Tom Ross will again help first year students and their parents move into residence hall rooms.

• "Class of 2013 Group Photo" Friday, Aug. 21, 5:30 p.m. on Smith Field. The entire class forms the number "2013" and has their photo made from a high vantage point.

• "Class of 2013 Championships" Friday, Aug. 21, 7-11 p.m. in Baker Sports Complex. Each first-year student hall forms a team for athletic competitions such as crab soccer, giant ball volleyball, and shoe-tie relay races. Each hall distinguishes itself with team colors, uniform style, and body paint.

• Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 a.m. - noon. Davidson's strong commitment to community service will be emphasized to members of the class through their participation in a 5-k walk throughout the Town of Davidson. Group leaders will point out historic community sites and agencies students may serve during their years on campus. Many student walkers will be raising money for the Free Clinic of Our Towns, which provides no-cost and low-cost health care to needy people in the community. The project reflects the "Healthy People, Healthy Communities" theme that all student service groups will support during the coming school year. The walk will conclude with a noon lunch of beans, rice, and cornbread in the College Union atrium.

• "The Life of the Mind" lecture Saturday, Aug. 22, at 2:30 p.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall. Vice President for Academic Affairs Clark Ross will talk about the value of a liberal arts education, and a panel discussion will introduce the Class of 2013 common reading book, Tobias Wolff's Old School. Students will engage in small-group discussion of the book from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The book was selected in part as an introduction to Davidson's all-year "Celebration of Honor and Integrity," which marks the 100th year of a student-run honor system at the college. Wolff will be on campus September 8 to present a public lecture and talk with student groups about his book.

• "Honor Code and Code of Responsibility Commitment Ceremony" Sunday, Aug. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall. The Honor Code-a central element of life at Davidson for more than 100 years --will be introduced at this event. Registrar Hansford Epes will discuss the pitfalls of plagiarism and student responsibilities under the Honor Code. The discussion concludes with each student publicly affirming his or her intention to uphold the Honor Code with a personal signature at the front of the assembly.

• "Cake Race" Wednesday, Aug. 26, 5 p.m., beginning and ending at Baker Sports Complex. In this 71-year Davidson tradition, incoming students are invited to run a 1.7 mile course around campus. Top finishers get sequential pick of about 100 cakes, many of which have been prepared by members of the college community.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

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