Matt Kurz, associate dean of student affairs for campus life, said Orientation is an important milestone in the Quinnipiac experience for incoming students.

“The Orientation program benefits first-year students by helping them build social connections with their incoming peers, as well as upper-class students, while also introducing them to key support services and academic resources,” said Kurz. “In addition, it allows incoming students to get a great feel for what attending our institution is like and provides time to register for classes and make strong connections to their college and major.”

Kurz said the Orientation program is one of Quinnipiac’s most recognized events and is a well-known aspect of the Bobcat college experience.

In order to keep the tradition exciting and fresh, Orientation presents a new theme each year.

“Every Orientation program is unique in its own way because of the personalities and leadership of the Orientation Leaders who help welcome our new students,” said Kurz. “I think this tradition is unique at Quinnipiac because the way our students approach the role and program includes a level of fierce loyalty and tremendous spirit that stands out from other colleges and universities.”

Orientation Leaders are the key to success at Orientation and help students navigate their way around campus before their first semester begins, said Kurz. As of this year, there are 40 Orientation Leaders and four Orientation Interns. The interns are given the responsibility to help lead the major aspects of the program including student sessions, family sessions, logistics and communications, said Kurz.

Orientation Intern Christina Stoeffler ’24 started off as an Orientation Leader and wanted to be seen as a role model to incoming first-year students, her joy deriving from her Orientation experience.

“One of my favorite memories was called ‘celebrating you at Quinnipiac’ where we sat down with our entire Orientation group and we were asked questions by our Orientation Leaders and shared our experiences,” said Stoeffler. “It’s interesting to see how everyone’s experiences are different coming into college. My Orientation Leaders were very open and accepted any different ideas and opinions which made it a safe space. It was a great bonding opportunity.”

While at Orientation, students are also given the opportunity to ask about involvement on campus such as Greek Life, clubs, sports, residential life and more.

This year's Orientation sessions started on June 15 and will conclude in late August.