Every year, the College posts pictures from the latest first-year walk. Any simple glance at the comments from Alumni shows that the first-year walk is one of the most popular and memorable orientation traditions for all students. This big event brings the orientation weekend to a close. Armed with coupons, students are encouraged to take advantage of the sunshine and walk the town. Lately, this highly anticipated event has come into fire- students are raising more concerns about the possibility of hazing behaviors, as well as emotional and mental stresses placed on them during the walk.

The first-year walk is meant to be harmless fun, but oftentimes, students are already under immense stress as they adjust to sharing a room for the first time, being away from home, unpacking their lives from boxes, and fighting off other anxieties of beginning their college career. Plagued with exhaustion from a crazy orientation schedule, these new students are surrounded by hundreds of strangers and are expected to physically link themselves together for over an hour and traipse through town.

I think we all can relate to these tumultuous feelings until we settle into the semester. Forcing students to participate in another uncomfortable situation like the first-year walk could be the breaking point for many students already teetering with homesickness and the stresses of new college life. This event is meant to be a lighthearted festivity to encourage friendships and familiarize students with their new town, but students are increasingly expressing concerns, sparking talk as to whether the first-year walk should officially be put to rest. Some of the main concerns include pressures to hold hands with strangers, which goes against some religious or cultural regulations, humiliation or feelings of being targeted to perform various exercises, dances, or cheers, and feelings of emotional and mental discomfort.

I believe an option to consider is asking participating upperclassmen to attend an anti-hazing seminar. This would help dissuade any overly enthusiastic students from overstepping the boundaries and making students uncomfortable. There should be special emphasis on refraining from physically forcing or verbally pressuring the students to hold hands if the students express concerns or feelings of discomfort. Complaints about overbearing upperclassmen should be dealt with to ensure the students feel comfortable throughout the event. Splitting into First Year Seminar groups could also ease the anxieties of being paired with complete strangers and could be a better fit for those who struggle with larger crowds.

One of the major concerns heard from students who have completed the walk are feelings of being targeted and forced to engage in humiliating activities at checkpoints by people helping run the walk. The activities are meant to be lighthearted way to have fun with new friends, and if first year students are feeling harassed or tormented by peer mentors, we need to reevaluate the way things are being handled. It is okay to want the students to be exited and engage in activities, but forcing them to participate, even playfully, crosses the line. I think that with a little revision of some of the checkpoint activities and putting emphasis on the helpers to be more lenient would alleviate some of these uncomfortable feelings.

One final change that we might consider is lessening the amount of orientation activities over that week, or extending orientation an extra day. With the busy schedules of events, it is hard to catch a breath and prep for the school year. There needs to be time to settle in for a lazy afternoon to breathe, sort out our lives, and meet our roommates. The beginning weeks of the first year are tough for all of us, and that is something we need to remember when leading the first year students. The first-year walk is a great addition to orientation week, but it could definitely use some modifications in order to maximize the enjoyment for the incoming students this first week. Overall, the students who are able to relax take away the most from the walk, and I think the best way to gain more students’ approval is by transforming the walk into something that every person can remember for years to come.

-Kayla Gruber