Regionals include community in orientation

Andrew Fuchs is representative of many of the freshmen who come to UConn’s Waterbury campus: young, fresh-faced, mildly shy and, since he is not from Waterbury, uncertain what lies beyond the walls of the campus he is about to attend.

Businesses in the city of Waterbury, home to a number of recent renovation projects, including the new UConn campus, would like to reach within those walls, extend a welcome to the University’s more than 900 students, and turn them into customers.

Last Wednesday, a significant step was taken to merge the two during freshman orientation, when student affairs staff and student orientation leaders introduced a new component – a tour, and lunch, in their new city.

“I thought it was great,” Fuchs said, beaming. “I live in Bridgeport and I really don’t get up here much at all, so it was great to get out and see what was around us.”

Broken down into about 15 small groups, the about 220 freshmen left the cloistered comfort and safety of the campus courtyard shortly after noon, and took off across Waterbury in several directions. Group leaders introduced them to the park in the center of Waterbury, the Mattatuck Museum, and the bustling retail area only two blocks from campus. After the walking tour, each group was taken to one of the downtown’s restaurants, where new friends chatted happily while testing the local fare.

After lunch, the students were given a tour of the Palace Theatre, a meticulously renovated, 2,460-seat theatre located across the street from the main entrance to the campus.

“We’re a commuter school, and most of the students are going to have a lot of downtime between classes,” says Stuart Brown, assistant dean of students at the campus. “So why not introduce them to the city around them, let them see that it’s busy, it’s safe, and there’s a lot they can do here when they’re not in class or studying.”

Taking the students to lunch, he said, was a brainstorm.

“When we were planning orientation, talk drifted to feeding the students. Last year we had a barbecue on campus, but it didn’t really work well. We were tossing out ideas, then somebody mentioned bringing the students to the merchants. It was perfect,” says Brown.

The merchants leaped at the chance to participate, he said. Several of the restaurants allowed the students to choose from their menu, others offered the crowd a handful of items. All the meals, paid for through Brown’s orientation budget, were discounted. Everyone seemed satisfied.