The Exponent Online


8/17/2001	Welcome Back Issue

Program orients freshmen to Purdue

Dave Stephens/ Assistant Campus Editor

CUTTING CLASS: A student gets his hair cut as part of Boiler Gold Rush’s "Union Fest." The hair cutting demonstration, along with dancing, free food, and movies were just some of the ways students could be entertained during the evening.

By Dave Stephens
Assistant Campus Editor

Imagine your first day at Purdue. You walk around campus, meet a few new people and then you stand on a stage in front of a crowd of strangers and sing Ricky Martin’s "Livin' La Vida Loca."

So maybe that’s not a typical first day of college.

But for Dan Hopkins, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering, and the hundreds of other freshmen students involved with Boiler Gold Rush, it’s part of learning how to adapt to college life.

Hopkins sang and danced to the Ricky Martin hit during the gold rush’s "UnionFest" on Monday night. "UnionFest" was a chance for the new students to experience the sights and sounds of the Purdue Memorial Union with karaoke, billiards, ballroom dance lessons, free food and haircut demonstrations.

Boiler Gold Rush is a program offered through the office of admissions to help incoming freshmen students learn about and adapt to Purdue.

The five-day long program features guests speakers who talk about how to succeed in college and small group discussions led by upperclassmen volunteers.

"I like the enthusiasm of the freshmen," said Liane Paprocki, a sophomore in the School of Veterinary Medicine and a team leader for Boiler Gold Rush. "I think we’re helping them because they are getting to know campus before everyone else is here."

Paprocki, whose job as a team leader puts her in charge of 10 freshmen students, said she wanted to get involved after participating in the program as a freshman.

"It was a lot of fun," said Paprocki, "I loved every minute of it."

Jennifer Shaw, a freshman in the Undergraduate Studies program, said Boiler Gold Rush helped her to meet new people.

"You get to break out of small groups and interact with people," said Shaw. "That’s probably the best part."

Megan Greenya, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts, has been involved with the program for three years. She said she loves working with freshmen because she knows she has an effect on their college life.

"Just being with the freshmen is so interesting," said Greenya. "They are so impressionable because anything you do or say they will follow."

Although most freshmen involved with Boiler Gold Rush are developing their first impressions of Purdue, some are also developing their first impressions of the United States.

"This (Boiler Gold Rush) thing has really helped me meet people," said Ashish Toshniwal, a freshman in the School of Science and a resident of India, "It’s much easier than showing up right before classes."

Janardan Dalmia, a freshman in the School of Management, said the program leaders were very helpful in getting him adjusted to Purdue.

"I hadn’t registered for classes or received my student ID yet," said Dalmia. "The (Boiler Gold Rush) leaders showed us where to go."

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