Written by Michelle Cascio
The Harding University deans are discussing a proposal to swap freshman pledging for other activities to alleviate stress and make a better first-year experience for incoming freshmen, according to Corey McEntyre, director of campus activities.
McEntyre said the deans and members of the inter-club council have been discussing a proposal to delay the social club induction process, disallowing freshmen to join a club during their first semester. The proposal, if accepted, would go into effect in fall of 2011 at the earliest.
McEntyre said he believes students should have time to acclimate to college life, learn how to balance classes with the social aspects of college and learn the campus before joining a club.
Although freshmen will be allowed to join clubs in the fall, McEntyre said more freshman activities will be implemented next year in an effort to give freshmen other choices than joining a social club during their first semester.
In lieu of social club induction, the proposal the deans are considering includes a year of activities solely aimed at freshmen.
“Not as many freshmen are involved as people might think,” McEntyre said.
Freshmen-only sports, mixers and a gala are a few of the activities in the works for fall 2010.
“(Freshman year) has to be more robust,” McEntyre said. “It has to include more activities. We have to prove to everybody that if we take the social club aspect away from the first year we will be filling it back up (with all these activities).”
Assistant Dean of Students Zach Neal said the goal is not to change the current system but to figure out what is best for the student body.
The deans have been gathering information, including how social clubs work at other schools, in order to make the best informed decision.
Since there are other Christian schools that don’t allow freshmen to pledge, the deans were discussing if such a change would create a better atmosphere at Harding.
Harding sophomore Emily Timmons can attest to both methods since she has attended both Harding and Abilene Christian University and experienced social life at each. Timmons pledged as a freshman at Harding but did not participate in the pledging process at ACU.
“I liked pledging as a freshman,” Timmons said. “It gets you involved, it was fun, and I thought it really boosted (the experience of) coming to Harding.”
ACU’s induction process spans six to eight weeks. Harding’s lasts one week.
Marcus Olds, president of social club Alpha Tau Eplison, said he is concerned if the proposal passes and freshmen make friends with each other prior to club induction, there will be more apprehension when it comes to social clubs.
“(The proposal) wants freshmen to build bonds to each other and have a lot of activities,” Olds said. “But then freshmen will have to break those bonds and go their separate ways into clubs.I think they’ll lose their enthusiasm and their excitement about clubs.”
McEntyre reiterated that the decision on this proposal has not been made and is still being discussed.
Neal said the deans do not know when they will meet to have a final conversation about the matter. Right now they are taking this time to focus on getting through the end of the school year, he said.
“The reason we’re taking this amount of time is out of fairness to consider everybody’s view,” Neal said.
