Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention

Gateways to Campus Culture

Exploring the Roles of Student Orientation Leaders

Ryan D. Theroux

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jcotr.v19i2.2793

Keywords: Cultural artifacts, meaning, community, significance, orientation leaders, values, campus tours, personal experiences, honesty, training

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Abstract

New student orientation is one of the places where the meanings of institutional cultural artifacts such as campus traditions, rituals, language, architecture, and other aspects of an institution's history are communicated. After visiting three public universities, the author discovered that while orientation directors were generally aware of the significance of cultural artifacts at their institutions, it was ultimately the student orientation leaders who passed on the meanings of these artifacts on to other students (both new students and new student orientation leaders). As part of a qualitative case study utilizing focus group interviews, the orientation leaders identified formal and informal ways in which they communicate the meanings of cultural artifacts to new students.