Orientation 2002 was a week in which 200 students from 45
countries
familiarized themselves with The Fletcher School and each other
at the same
time as losing their marbles, craning their necks, and touching
the world.
Dean Stephen Bosworth welcomed the class of 2004, which he
described as the most accomplished yet.
"Fletcher received a
record number of applications this year. Students in the
class of 2004 bring an enormous and vast array of experience to
the school." said Dean Bosworth on Monday, August 25- the first
day of orientation.
The first challenge for the class was the strategic placement
of 200 heads for the class photo.
Groups then embarked on self-guided tours of the Tufts campus
receiving useful
information, postcards, and Fletcher brief cases (which quickly
became anything
but brief) along the way.
The ensuing teambuilding activities demonstrated students’
innovation in
problem solving and thinking outside the box – (and up the trees!) –
leading to
suspension of play for fear of safety. However, that did not stop
the
challenge of transporting “toxic waste” (aka green water) using
only a dozen or
so strands of string.
The much-anticipated whale-watching trip was canceled due to
inclement
weather. However, it was swiftly replaced by a tour of the
aquarium, a 90-
minute cruise around Boston Harbor followed by another Cruise of
sorts (the Tom
variety) around the International Space Station via a
3-dimensional IMAX movie.
 Throughout the week, unofficial orientation activities sprung up
among newly
formed friendships in local restaurants and bars – perhaps more
aptly described
as “Disorientation 2002”. Discussion around dinner tables between
people from
a wide variety of countries provided evidence of the
international and
intellectual climate of the Fletcher School and the unofficial
learning from
fellow classmates’ wealth of experiences.
Introductory group presentations and the compilation of the 1000
paper cranes
folded by students provided a fitting close to the full week.
“Orientation 2002 has been a huge success” said Cindy Matheson,
Student Affairs
Coordinator. “The aim of the bonding activities was to make
students aware of
the ways in which they will need to work together over the next
few years to
succeed as a whole.
“The class of 2004 has achieved that and formed a real sense of
community for
which Fletcher is renown,” Ms Matheson added. "The speed
with which the community has bonded has been the fastest ever.
I attribute it to the high caliber of the class of 2004."
Now the class of 2004 will begin the process of swapping their
1000 cranes for
their craniums and origami papers for those of international
relations and 30
pages.
|
