Each year, it seems a new bigger incoming class comes to Elizabethtown College. In the 2023-2024 application season, 3,618 senior high school students tried to join the Etown flock, making it 3 percent higher than the year prior and the most number of applications ever.
The class snapshot for the class of 2028 indicated that 550 students were arriving in the fall, making it the biggest class since 2009. Of those 550, 136 of them are in the honors program, 65 students are in the momentum program and 102 of them are domestic students of color and international students. Of the international students, those students come from 11 countries including Brazil, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Netherlands and Zimbabwe.
For returning students, this may arise concerns of space through housing and dining. With that may come a lot of adjustments and making space for the new students while still keeping the routine that returning students may already have. While these concerns are valid, there is enough housing for all students on campus. For students who do not want to eat in the Marketplace when it is crowded, they can always rely on to-go containers, the Jay’s Nest or the Fresh Nest.
The transition to college can greatly influence how first-year students view the college environment. Not feeling welcomed could be a primary reason for transferring or dropping out of college in those first few weeks. A lot of the welcoming activities in the first week, such as the bingo that was set up before the returning students arrived, new student orientation, the jay walk, and the club fair, are supposed to be opportunities to build connections and feel like the school as a whole cares about the incoming class.
“So far, it’s been a really nice transition,” first-year Nate Kubasko said. People have been welcoming, and I’ve had a lot of opportunities to join clubs. Classes are an adjustment, but it has been alright. I just have to put in a bit more work than high school.”.
However, the first few weeks at Etown had a more complicated start than most would have expected. With an incoming class full of students from varied backgrounds, Etown has to engage in difficult conversation to address all of their needs and interests. On Aug. 26 and Sept. 7, Etown students were alerted to incidents occurring on campus. The incident on Aug. 26 was about multiple cases of harassment through social media while the one on Sept. 7 related to anti-semtimism on a white board in a dorm hall. Neither behavior is considered acceptable by college standards nor has been treated as such by staff and returning and first-year students.
Even when the first-year students had to handle bias incidents within their first few weeks of college alongside trying to find themselves and their place in this college, they preserved and took on strength even with the additional fear of being in a new environment. That sets the tone for the rest of the year for many and, therefore, has to be acknowledged alongside the community that is being built among the incoming class. Both new and returning students are learning together to emphasize the importance of reporting incidents and making an environment that is inclusive for all.
For first-year students who may not feel as involved or welcomed, there is still more than enough time to find people, clubs and events to join. The adjustment can be a lot on anyone during this time, even for returning students who may not be used to having more students on campus and especially with the bias incidents that are happening this school year. However, no matter what, Blue Jays stick together. There is a community for any student at Etown regardless of any aspect of their identity, and the continual effort to make all students feel involved displays that more than anything.
