WWW.GUILFORDlAN.COM
F EATU RE S
Orientation iieips
first years adjnst
to coitege iife
‘^ui/ford Coll
By Alex Thibodeau
Staff Writer
"A Ferris wheel!" I exclaimed as I pulled
into Guilford's campus on Aug. 22. Lights
flashed and students roamed down the main
boulevard of campus for one of the largest
events of CHAOS 2009.
The acronym "CHAOS" (Community,
Health, Advisement, Orientation, Services)
cleverly describes the crash-course initiation
into Guilford life for new students. With
an "Out of this World" theme, students and
student-leaders deemed this year's CHAOS
a huge success.
"The most exciting activity was the carni
val, which was an all-new event that involved
a wide-range of games, a moon-bounce, and
a Ferris wheel," said senior CHAOS leader
Katie O'Boyle. "The turn-out was higher
than anyone's expectations, and a lot of the
upperclassmen came out and enjoyed them
selves too."
Sophomore CHAOS leader Courtney
Mandeville saw overall improvements in the
program. The staff kept the popular events
from the year before, while making adjust
ments to past controversial events, such as
the talent show.
This year students and CHAOS leaders
met daily for small-group sessions, which
allowed students to convene in a personal
environment. Each group was expected to
come up with a short skit to share with their
entire class. The skits were Mandeville's
favorite activity.
"I had to dress up as a girl. My house
mates straightened my hair, and I shaved my
beard. It was good for me because it put me
out there and allowed me to do something
ridiculous. One of the freshmen did it with
me, which was really cool because I think
it helped him break out of his shell," said
Mandeville.
First-year Gabrielle Lahowitch similarly
felt that CHAOS and the CHAOS leaders'
pep helped break the ice for the incoming
students.
"The CHAOS leaders had a lot of energy,
which was a good thing because incoming
freshmen may be a little nervous. It's the
leaders' job to make the first-years the most
comfortable," explained Lahowitch.
First-year Sam Becker, who is new to the
South and to Guilford, fell in love with the
school and the friendly community during
the CHAOS program, but felt that some of
the CHAOS leaders could have been more
outgoing and inclusive of more students dur
ing the small skits.
"Not everyone was involved in the skits
and I think there could have been a bet
ter way to get more people incorporated,"
Becker reflected. "And it is important to get
close to the people that you're going to be
with for the next four years."
First-year Courtney Whitley found that
some of the CHAOS leaders were reluctant
to express enthusiasm about CHAOS and
Guilford in general.
"Some of the CHAOS leaders did not want
to interact with people, but felt obligated,"
said Whitley.
However, Whitley felt that most of the
CHAOS leaders were a great source of sup
port and information.
"They really enforced that we could ask
them anything and it would be OK," Whitley
added.
CHAOS was a period of growth for the
both the new students and the leaders.
Mandeville felt that being a CHAOS leader
allowed him to not only acquire an abun
dance of free T-shirts, but to build public
speaking skills and confidence.
A leader for three years, O'Boyle views
CHAOS as a great way to build strong rela
tionships.
"At first you're a guide and a source of
information, but by the end of the week you
become very good friends with the fresh
men," explained O'Boyle.
While "the newness was exhausting"
for first-year Lahowitch, she also admit
ted that CHAOS was a great way to meet
people. Some of the open discussions, such
as the annual "Todd and Amy" discussion
about alcohol and sexual consent, intro
duced Lahowitch to Guilford's values and
practices.
Becker was just glad to have a few days
to learn his way around campus before
classes started. CHAOS also dispelled the
myth to Becker that Guilford is singularly
a hippie-dippy, artsy-fartsy school, as he
began to get a taste of the unique and
dirverse atmosphere of Guilford dur
ing CHAOS.
With effective activities and a hard
working staff, CHAOS 2009 cre
ated wonderful opportunities for
the incoming students to join the
Guilford community and way of
life. Welcome, Class of 2013!
Cloud Gamble / Guilfordian
(Counter-clockwise from left) First-year Chaimaa Azizbi belly dances at the
Open Mic on Aug' 29. NoeTakahata (left), Canna Zehng (center), and Hoa
Hoang (right) enjoy a meal in the cafeteria.Van Koodin, a first-year, plays
to a chorus of friendly cheers at the talent show. Dante Whitmore follows
with a strong vocal performance.