Many students of the freshmen class of 2021 were anxious to meet new friends and get acquainting to campus when moving in late August. Many did not even know what was planned for the week prior to the start of classes but Plymouth’s orientation staff already had a plan in action. Freshmen got the chance to do daily activities, meetings, and presentations to get more used to campus life. The majority even got the chance to make friends and connect with classmates.

During the day students were busy going to engaging and entertaining presentations. While at night, students got the chance to visit other dorms for fun, low-key activities. Some highlights of the week were Casino Night, Exit 25, the Hypnotist Show, the Mission Improvable performance, and the banquet. Panther days are fairly new to PSU and so far they have had a great impact. It is only the campuses second year trying it, so it is still evolving. When asked, many students had interesting opinions and perspectives on how the week went.

One of the purposes of Panther Days were to keep freshmen busy to insure they would not get too home-sick. Some students enjoyed jumping right into things but others felt very overwhelmed at the start. Getting students to talk about individual experiences was a bit too much. The Sexual Assault presentation felt a lot more prepared and less of an improv act.” Students looked at the presentations as more of a chore and did not seem to like it. But many had a range of opinions about it.

A big suggestion that came up was that students needed more free time. Some did not even get a chance to really unpack and unwind. Many students went to presentations exhausted and did not get to take in the real meaning of these programs. After only a few days on campus students were drained and not getting enough sleep. Some even said that the free time scheduled just was not enough. For the students that decided against visiting the programs, they felt that everything was pointless. They were not informed enough on where things were and instead of stressing and getting lost, they just did not go. According to some CA’s they felt that things were a bit disorganized and even they did not know enough about what was happening.

There was confusion on what was mandatory and some students neglected to attend crucial meetings due to this. In some cases, students felt they had trouble finding their groups and thought this should be improved in the future.

There were still many good things about Panther Days. Although some things got muddled and difficult, there was a quick response to resolve any conflicts and generally people worked well together to make the most out of the week. Some students praised how involved they felt and how welcoming the campus was.

Many learned more facts about college education and life, while others got a chance to put themselves out there more.

Future students can look forward to future Panther Days and all PSU has to offer. To all freshmen, I hope you enjoyed your first weeks at Plymouth and make the most out of the rest of your year.