Gold Rush helps freshman get
acquainted
By Anna Herkamp
Summer Reporter
Every year Purdue gives its freshmen a week to
themselves to get acquainted with campus and one another.
The week is called Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue's freshman
orientation program. The program begins Aug. 12 and runs to Aug. 16.
Dave Pflum, assistant director of Boiler Gold Rush,
said, "You have a week you're on campus and the rest of the class is
not. You get to know a lot more people, you not only build a base of
friends, but you have a group of people to hang out with for meals and
so forth once school starts."
The week gives the freshmen an opportunity to get
comfortable and familiar with the campus. They have the benefit of potentially
meeting around 3,000 people in their class before having to go to class
on the first day of school. They also have the opportunity to connect
with some upper classmen.
"It gives them a little more guidance before they
have to jump into classes," said Shawna Lusk, assistant coordinator
of Boiler Gold Rush.
A hierarchy of Purdue students organizes Boiler
Gold Rush. The top authority is the group of professional staff that
is made up of three adult coordinators.
Next are the directors, made of one person and
a staff of five assistant directors. Under the directors is the group
of team supervisors, 2-4 per hall, who oversee approximately 383 team
leaders. The team leaders are the people who actually oversee the incoming
freshmen for the week.
Students start Boiler Gold Rush right away on move-in
day Usually, leaders will organize an informal dinner outing for students
who may not have parents still in town that first night.
"It's not an organized event or anything, but it
gives students their first opportunity to meet each other," Pflum said.
Later that evening the freshmen are broken up into
groups of 10-15 people and assigned to their team leader. The groups
go almost everywhere together for the entire week. They participate
as a group in each daytime activity, but during the night activities
students are free to go participate at their will.
There are many new things added for this year's
Boiler Gold Rush that are designed to be both informational and fun.
This year, as a new introduction to the academic
schools, a picnic will be held on the Memorial Mall, which will offer
students free food and an opportunity to learn about each school. There
will be tables set up on the mall where team leaders will answer any
questions about their respective academic school.
As part of an alcohol awareness campaign, comedian
Wendi Fox will be presenting her "Alcohol and Sanity" tour in which
she comically describes growing up in a household where alcoholism was
prevelent.
Last year, a speaker was brought in from the Wellness
Office, but it is hoped that presenting this type of information in
a humorous view will get the message across a little clearer, said Lusk.
The first night of Boiler Gold Rush, motivational
speaker Will Keim will give his presentation about success in college.
Keim got some of the highest ratings of all speakers last year, said
Pflum. Other presentations for the week include an informational fair
for student activities and one for local businesses. Some of the local
businesses will give out food and coupons to all participants.
One night, the Union will be open for free billiard
games, bowling and food during Union Fest. There will also be late night
Wal-Mart runs, in which buses will take students to Wal-Mart and back
to the dorms until 3 a.m. Also, the Recreational Sports Center will
be open until midnight one night for all Boiler Gold Rush participants.
The last event of the week is the Purdue West Carnival on the evening
of Aug. 16.
According to Tauna Starbuck, director of Boiler
Gold Rush, attending the program is an experience students will benefit
from compared to those who don’t participate.
"They will be 80-100 percent more familiar and
have more confidence. It is such a huge transition the first couple
days. It is easier to be in an atmosphere of 3,000 other freshmen first
than it is to jump into one of over 37,000. After BGR, they'll be able
to slide in with everyone else and make Purdue their home more quickly,"
said Starbuck.
"I'd say it’s definitely worth the time and
money. I'm going into my senior year. I met my best friends in college
during BGR. I don't know how my college career would have turned out
had I not done it. It made up my mind that I was in the right place
(at Purdue)," Pflum said.
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