2008 Woodie Awards
Freshman get a taste of Alphabet STEW, Acting Out
Tiffany Hassin
Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: News
Oh, Freshman orientation, how we remember thee: hiking from one welcoming event to the next, becoming acquainted with other newly-graduated "adults" at two in the morning at the 150 Tremont dorms, and savoring that first surprising morsel of gourmet Sodexo cafeteria food.
Okay, so I personally never experienced summer orientation here at Suffolk (us spring-semester freshmen enjoyed our glorified two-day tour of the campus), but at least I know what's happening. And some of it is pretty interesting stuff.
Amidst the chaotic throng of orientation events, two presentations stand out: Alphabet STEW and Acting Out.
STEW is a comedic first-night introduction to Suffolk's students and their uncanny ability to evoke a laugh from even the most nervous of newbies. Ben Janey, Office Coordinator at the Performing Arts Office, describes the basic premise in an e-mail: "We go through the alphabet, and perform a skit or song or dance for a theme based on each letter. For instance, B is for Bad date, and S is for Showtunes." The point of STEW is to entertain incoming freshman and loosen up the nervous ones.
This year's cast of characters includes a few familiar PAO faces: Nick Black, Sharif Butler, Gustave Cadet, Sarah Flanagan, Jennifer Graham, Kevin Hadfield, Vicki Hanes, Rene Hartel, Tony Hui, Jennifer Losco, Elissa Newcorn, and Amy Strong.
Director Kate Buckman of "Ready, Set, Act!" receives help from some students, including Cadet and Strong.
If that isn't enough to make you want to be a freshman at orientation again, then maybe that's a job better suited for Acting Out. Its aim, says Janey, is "to provide peer education of topics ranging from substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, dealing with depression and other topics that affect college students." It's all the stuff you wish you had paid attention to. But now, you're stuck making an appointment with Health Services about that weird rash. Maybe you should have listened.
Acting Out is directed by student April Duquette, though, "all cast members normally take part in the development of all the pieces," reminds Janey. Those cast members include Ryan Berry, Katiuska Cruz, Clarence Flanders, Jennifer Graham, Kevin Hadfield, Vicki Hanes, Tony Hui, Jill Kronenberg, and Anthony Merola.
So if you're a soon-to-be Suffolk Freshman who just happens to have registered for an orientation session, and you just happen to be in the city, it's probably a good idea to check into the dorms and check out orientation. There's a great opportunity to make new friends, laugh at upperclassmen, and learn to protect yourself from the bad influences around you. Well, minus Sodexo. Unfortunately you'll just have to learn to like it.
Okay, so I personally never experienced summer orientation here at Suffolk (us spring-semester freshmen enjoyed our glorified two-day tour of the campus), but at least I know what's happening. And some of it is pretty interesting stuff.
Amidst the chaotic throng of orientation events, two presentations stand out: Alphabet STEW and Acting Out.
STEW is a comedic first-night introduction to Suffolk's students and their uncanny ability to evoke a laugh from even the most nervous of newbies. Ben Janey, Office Coordinator at the Performing Arts Office, describes the basic premise in an e-mail: "We go through the alphabet, and perform a skit or song or dance for a theme based on each letter. For instance, B is for Bad date, and S is for Showtunes." The point of STEW is to entertain incoming freshman and loosen up the nervous ones.
This year's cast of characters includes a few familiar PAO faces: Nick Black, Sharif Butler, Gustave Cadet, Sarah Flanagan, Jennifer Graham, Kevin Hadfield, Vicki Hanes, Rene Hartel, Tony Hui, Jennifer Losco, Elissa Newcorn, and Amy Strong.
Director Kate Buckman of "Ready, Set, Act!" receives help from some students, including Cadet and Strong.
If that isn't enough to make you want to be a freshman at orientation again, then maybe that's a job better suited for Acting Out. Its aim, says Janey, is "to provide peer education of topics ranging from substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, dealing with depression and other topics that affect college students." It's all the stuff you wish you had paid attention to. But now, you're stuck making an appointment with Health Services about that weird rash. Maybe you should have listened.
Acting Out is directed by student April Duquette, though, "all cast members normally take part in the development of all the pieces," reminds Janey. Those cast members include Ryan Berry, Katiuska Cruz, Clarence Flanders, Jennifer Graham, Kevin Hadfield, Vicki Hanes, Tony Hui, Jill Kronenberg, and Anthony Merola.
So if you're a soon-to-be Suffolk Freshman who just happens to have registered for an orientation session, and you just happen to be in the city, it's probably a good idea to check into the dorms and check out orientation. There's a great opportunity to make new friends, laugh at upperclassmen, and learn to protect yourself from the bad influences around you. Well, minus Sodexo. Unfortunately you'll just have to learn to like it.
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