SAMANTHA BLONS
News Assistant
PAUL CLARK/Photo Editor
Pepperdine University begins classes for the new academic year today, as many new and returning students transition into new schedules and living situations.
Pepperdine opened its gates Tuesday to a flood of new students and their families, while many sophomores, juniors and seniors opted to come to campus early to serve as NSO leaders and coordinators Student and academic departments introduced new freshmen to various aspects of student life on campus.
NSO gave incoming freshmen like Tommy Chung the chance to acclimate to the culture and community of Pepperdine for almost a week before classes started
“I didn’t know any of the students before I came here, so I was nervous, but now I’ve gotten more comfortable,” Chung Said, after only two days of NSO activities.
Adam Baron, resident director for upperclassmen housing at Lovernich apartments and the Drescher campus, said that although campus housing policies are unchanged, a new system of roommate selection was implemented for the incoming freshmen of the class of 2010.
The optional program, called Converge, began with an Internet personality profile, then matched incoming freshmen with potential roommates based on compatibility.
“What’s going to be interesting to see with the freshman is, does selecting your own roommate lead to better roommate satisfaction, rather than random selection?” Baron said.
Although some returning students living on-campus moved in early for co-curricular activities, the remaining residents of the Lovernich Apartments, Rockwell Towers and the Honors apartments returned to campus Sunday.
“With [returning students,] they tend to be much more like ‘hit-the-ground-running,’ which is why they can move in just a couple days before class starts,” Baron said.
Senior Matt Graves, who works in the Volunteer Center, moved into his on-campus apartment in Lovernich more than two weeks ago to begin preparing for the Jumpstart volunteer program this fall.
“I enjoy living on-campus,” he said “The way I see it, I have the whole rest of my life to live off-campus, and this is my last year to live on a college campus. So I might as well take advantage of it.”
08-28-2006