orienting to SJSU

Yesterday I participated in summer orientation, staffing a booth for the College of Social Sciences. Talked with many first-year students and their parents as well as a few transfer students. SJSU can seem overwhelming at first, with so many colleges, schools and departments. Although the campus is fairly compact, the layout can seem confusing for those new to the campus. I didn't attend orientation when I first started my undergraduate degree; yesterday gave me a sense of what I was missing. Students learn important information about how to navigate the complexities of the SJSU bureaucracy as well as what's expected of them as members of the campus community.

Friday is a major blogging day in this class, so there were many posts for me to read through, but one in particular caught my eye because it's something I've really noticed as acting chair for the department. In blogging about Jamba Juice, Bams noted that the counter people at the bottom rung are the most important because they're the contact point with customers. If servers are rude and unpleasant, customers likely won't go back. At SJSU, the staff are a key contact point for students, especially when students first arrive. In the COMM department, our office staff are known for being friendly and efficient, which gives students (and faculty) a more positive view of the department. At orientation yesterday, I noticed how helpful the staff were, answering questions about CoSS and other aspects of the university that I could not have answered. Those brief interactions can have a lasting impact on how students (and parents) view SJSU.

--Professor Cyborg