Students Discover Campus

Yay, CSULB accepted you as a student!

But now comes the hard part. What classes do you take? Where do you get academic help? Where are the Student Union and the Library? What activities and organizations are there? What is student housing like?

Decades ago, new Long Beach State students often had to figure out a lot of this for themselves, armed with just a printed catalog and perhaps a meeting with an advisor. But in the 1980s, university officials realized students would succeed better if they had a more organized start. That led to creation of SOAR — Student Orientation, Advising and Registration, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Student Affairs.

“The purpose of the SOAR program is to acclimate our incoming students to their new campus environment and to meet other fellow new students. Yes, we do make sure that they are registered for the right classes to be successful at the Beach. We also make sure they receive a student ID; they register for the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and for the TAP card that allows them to use Long Beach transit for free. The larger goal is to assimilate the new students to their new milieu in a smaller setting than when they arrive in the fall,” said Kenneth Kelly, director of SOAR and Parent and Family Programs (PFP).

This required program encompasses one or two days for freshmen and one day for transfers. SOAR staff oversee the program, and key contributors to SOAR’s success are student advisors who impart their own experiences and help guide new students. The one-day version starts off with an introduction to the university from senior administrators including President Jane Close Conoley, when she is available. This is followed by a walking tour of the campus, learning about student organizations and services as well as important required information about alcohol use and Title IX, and then the all-important general advising and registering for classes.

An optional Freshman Overnight Program lets students spend a night in a residence hall following a first day of orientation activities that make it easier to get to know the campus and other students. The second day is for advisement and registration.

Incoming psychology major Lauren Blackman of Chino Hills took part in a July overnight program. She’s from a Beach family — sister Kassandra is a student and dad Scott is an alumnus. “I only visited here once or twice before, but ended up loving it here,” Lauren said. “The SOAR people are really helpful. It kind of throws you into college. Today was a fun day.”

Family involvement is important to student success, so CSULB hosts several Parent and Family Orientation one- and two-day programs in parallel with SOAR. Families have a separate agenda of a tour, a panel of current CSULB parents and student SOAR advisors, and an introduction to academic and student services.

Brenda and Garrett Rezzonico from San Jose came along with daughter Janna, who will be a business major. They were already somewhat familiar with CSULB after attending a College of Business Administration-hosted visit and taking another self-guided campus tour.

They attended their son’s orientation at the University of Oregon a couple of years ago, but in comparison, “This is much more intimate. It’s been very comprehensive and enormously informative,” Brenda said.

Once classes start Aug. 24, CSULB’s more than 8,500 new undergraduates will be well prepared for what lies ahead.

Learn more at http://web.csulb.edu/divisions/students/soar.

Written by Anne Ambrose