Orientation is the best of times, and it is the worst of times.
The EphVentures and pre-orientation programs are supposed to be your golden gateway to a community you belong. A community where you are understood, accepted, and embraced. They are jam-packed with fun, but they are also jam-packed in general — as if first-years only have a few short days to learn everything there is to know about the Purple Valley. The programs do not leave any room for breathing. In some ways, they reflect the culture we are welcoming the first-years into: We do not stop; we work hard; we play hard. How little we sleep and how many hats we wear to create community on campus are our unspoken metrics of care. And this year, with the budget cut-induced shorter orientation, the pace of first-years’ First Days at Williams was even more concerning.
The first day of EphVentures is super exciting: First-years finally meet their leaders and other like-minded peers. There is bustling energy and excitement coupled with awkwardness and anticipation. I remember my first day of EphVentures last year. I was recovering from jet lag but had the chance to nap before Root began. I was refreshed and had time to myself before starting the next four days of delving into environmental and social justice and their intersection with identity and culture.
As a Root leader this year, I was ready to co-create a community and a support network for first-years. Instead, what we EphVentures leaders received was a flood of first-years coming out of Chapin at 4:30 p.m. — already exhausted from a day of engagements and workshops. EphVentures began at 4:30 p.m., meaning the first-years had back-to-back sessions of sitting and cramming in knowledge about the College without a breather — already a more extreme pace than my peers and I had last year. Having just arrived on campus and leaving the life they knew behind, first-years are constantly surrounded by around 500 of their fellow students. In addition to this often overwhelming environment, first-years follow a 12-hour-long orientation schedule. With socialization scheduled after programming, First Days can often become even longer. I think we do not acknowledge this unique pressure enough. This is particularly concerning for some international students, who may be jet-lagged after their long journeys to campus and have often had stressful and humiliating interactions with customs and border protection officers, which range from losing luggage to experiencing racial or religious profiling. The schedule does not provide space for first-years to manage any health-related issues either: What about those with required accommodations or someone like me with anemia?
Certainly, as orientation leaders, we encourage students to take time and space as needed — but as former first-years, we know too well the dreaded fear of missing out. Social groups start forming on the first day of orientation, which adds even more stress. And for good reason: Not everyone can reach out and make connections without the College facilitating a space for mingling. Taking time for yourself during the busy orientation schedule is fine as long as you do not miss the important sessions. But I would argue that that time for relaxing is undercut by the sheer amount of important activities that take place during orientation.
In my first year, I remember scrambling to attend all the “important” events and then going back to rest or recharge my social battery instead of partaking in fun or recreational activities, which, for first-years trying to build relationships, are no less important. My anemia was still undiagnosed then, and I kept pushing myself to the point of falling ill right before the first day of classes. The fact that first-years are given such little time to rest during their first days at the College shows what we as a community value and actively prioritize on campus.
Even us leaders were tired after such a busy training. However, I need to acknowledge that this year, Root was actively building rest and restoration into its training schedule for both leaders and students as a part of self-sustainability. This shift came about from a collection of feedback by previous leaders and participants. But the fatigue felt with the intense schedules is a symptom of a larger issue. It reminds me of something a classmate said to me last week: “This institution was not formed with an inclusive lens in mind — it was not made for everyone in its inception.” While orientation leaders are volunteers, they do large amounts of unpaid labor for the College — especially first-generation and international students, who lead pre-orientation programming, which seems to be undervalued and taken for granted. Often, students who would otherwise like to participate in leading orientation cannot do so for financial reasons. And everyone who was an Ephmover needs to be acknowledged — that was some real physical labor. Last year, I was horrified when I realized my orientation leaders were not paid for their efforts. This year, I laughed and shrugged it off when the first-years in the Root group I led asked me the same question. I did not even realize until I was writing this piece how my previous reaction — which was accurate — had changed.
To some extent, I understand our community relies on each other. Community is formed through love, effort, and labor. My class relied on the kindness and passion of those before us to create such a beautiful introduction to the College — a cycle that should be carried forward. Those who choose to do this are invaluable. However, a similar argument was made for the Junior Advisor position for years. Truly, the incredible amounts of time, effort, and care put by students into training and orientation are invaluable. The least we can do is put a minimum wage-level price on it.
To make sure leaders and participants have fun, fulfilling, and fair experiences during orientation programming:
1. Slow down. The College should not indicate to first-years that a non-inclusive and intense schedule is the norm for their next four years.
2. Orientation leaders — starting with international and first-generation pre-orientation leaders — should be paid for their immense work in creating community on campus.
Orientation is important. I think it is an excellent introduction to the College, and I do not want to discredit anyone’s arduous efforts to make it one, including Dining Services, Facilities, and Campus Safety Services. Everyone involved in EphVentures programming is simply doing their best to create a fantastic experience. But I am sure we do not want to normalize unpaid student labor and a schedule that deprioritizes rest and play. Thus, we need to redefine our boundaries — and the impression of the College that we want to impart upon first-years.
Saumya Shinde ’26 is a psychology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies major from Mumbai, India. She was a Root orientation leader for the Class of 2027.
