I think the third day incorporated some of the best activities with which to end SHOtime. For example, the “Distinguished Faculty Lecture” with Dr. Alley was entertaining and informative, which I think gave the freshmen a taste of an engaging larger-class (about 300 person) lecture that they may encounter at their time here at Penn State. Then after lunch, the incoming class was split up into book discussion groups. I helped to facilitate a discussion on Malcolm Gladwell’s “David and Goliath,” and Dr. Gutgold even sat in on and gave input about her thoughts on the story as well. It was a little difficult to keep the conversation flowing at some points, as some students seemed too shy to volunteer to participate while others dominated the discussion. My main goal throughout was to try to have everyone’s voices heard during the discussion, so I tried to prompt questions towards those who were not speaking up or poll them on their overall opinion about the story.
I liked that the “SASH” this year involved mini-tours of the buildings because I think that was a helpful addition I could have used as a freshman last year. After dinner, “Late Night with the Dean” was definitely a great way to wrap up the orientation process with humor. I really enjoyed all of the different coaches attending, as well as President Barron, because I felt more connected to various aspects of the school other than solely Schreyer or solely academics. Also, I think the Final Bow was a good way to avoid chaos after releasing everyone from LNWTD because it provided more of a structured way to end the night.