Special to The Chronicle
As the First-Year Advisory Counselor Program came to a close last week with FAC Chat III, the 1700 freshmen of the Class of 2017 still have fond memories of the sweat-drenched upperclassmen students that graciously descended upon the cars to unload all their belongings on their first official day of college.
Soon after acclimating to their new dormitories, freshmen joined their FAC to not just get acquainted with their new classmates and but also to learn the in-and-outs of life at Duke. This year, the program was headed by co-chairs seniors Valentine Esposito and Derek Lindsay. The board included 32 members on the executive Board, called ‘Head FACs'. Led by this team, over 250 FACs gathered to host simple icebreakers, group dinners, tours of the campus, and an orientation book discussion. All of these activities were designed with a clear goal in mind—to make the new freshmen class feel welcome at Duke.
“The FAC chats have specific themes such as ‘Duke Opportunities’ or ‘Duke Academics’, so they allow for more structured conversation and dissemination of information,” Esposito explained. “Other events, such as FAC lunch and dinner, lend themselves to more casual conversation, which we believe is essential during this transition period for first-years.”
Getting to know someone who had gone through the same college anxiety was helpful, and some students quickly found their upperclassman FAC to be both a mentor and a friend.
“My FAC was very enthusiastic,” said freshman Chuma Eruchalu. “I thought the group tour was really helpful.”
Others praised the FAC dinners for their relaxed atmosphere, noting that it was a great time for them to ask any questions they had about the elusive freshmen meal plan.
Another FAC activity that many people enjoyed was talking about the orientation book, Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Freshmen felt that the discussions showed the level of thoughtfulness that characterizes Duke students.
“We discussed the book in its entirety [with our FAC]. He was real with us and gave us an interesting perspective on the book,” said freshman Gilbert Brooks.
The freshmen are not the only ones who had something to gain from the program; the FACs themselves also love the experience, especially with the added perk of arriving on campus early before O-week. Senior Emily Bhutiani, a member of the FAC Board, noted that many FACs volunteer to be part of the program because they recognize the positive impact they have on first year students.
“I believe that the FAC Program allows FACs to get to know Duke in a more intimate way.” Esposito said. “It also helps sophomore FACs adjust to being a leader at Duke.”
Nevertheless, a program of this size will always have room for improvement. For next year, some students suggested that the upperclassmen should just be an accessible resource and make FAC events optional. Another freshman suggested that the FACs groups be bigger to give students an opportunity to meet more people.
Overall however, the program was a great success.
“Individual FACs act as an initial friendly face to their first-years which in itself is quite comforting.” Bhutiani said. “This tradition is one of the first displays of the 'Duke Community' that the freshmen see , and I think that it is quite powerful.”
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