It’s orientation week and Collegetown is filling to the brim with hordes of all-too-easily identifiable freshmen. To benefit the Class of 2015, we dispatched a Berry Patch reporter to point out the three most common mistakes every freshman makes in his or her first ventures away from the shelter of North Campus.   

Homer & Langley, a novel about a New York urban legend, was chosen as the summer reading book for the incoming class.  

On the morning of Move In Day three years ago, some genius at the Ramada Inn thought it would be wise to leave a rolled-up rug in the main corridor. Having inherited my father’s uncanny ability to avoid minor catastrophes, I, like him, leapt over the booby trap without realizing it was there. The thud and scream that occurred two seconds later informed us that my mom was not nearly as lucky.

Freshman year can be rough. Everyone experiences some form of severe discomfort during this first baby step towards adulthood. My big hurdle happened to come pretty early on.

I awoke the third day of Orientation after my first night of debauchery at a frat party. I felt a wonderful mixture of discoordination and comfortable grogginess. College was going to be sweet.

Freshman: you’re a virgin. I’m a virgin to this whole column business. We have a lot in common. As a sophomore, I am infinitely older and infinitely wiser than the masses of you that have been storming campus since last Friday. You’re probably homesick, most likely lost and definitely out of your element. Not that I was ever in that position. But I can imagine what it must feel like.

Since I’m a pretty generous person, all things considered, I thought I’d christen this new column with a little spattering of advice for the otherwise clueless 4,000 students that will be aimlessly confined to their dorm rooms, cafeteria of choice and the Cornell Store, because that’s all there really is to see in Ithaca, right? Well, almost.

One of the main challenges for each Orientation Steering Committee is putting a new spin on the annual event.

According to Jack Cao ’10, one of the members on the OSC, this year the committee is trying to give the orientation theme a more prominent role than previous years' themes.

“What makes 2009 unique is the emphasis on integration,” Cao said. “The theme of technology is meant as a metaphor for the OSC’s attempt to get the new freshmen integrated and connected to Cornell.”

For two days during Orientation Week, students, parents and community members formed a queue outside Helen Newman Recreational Center for the Dump and Run sale. The sale, which runs every August, features items that Cornell students donate at the end of the spring semester. For those unfortunate enough to be at the back of the line, there were times where it took them up to three hours to get into the building to see what was for sale.

Yesterday, all those who helped make the Dump and Run sale possible came together to celebrate the success of the event and distribute the proceeds from the sales.

As wide-eyed freshmen wander aimlessly across campus and noise complaints in Collegetown add up, one thing has become abundantly clear (or maybe blurry to some): orientation is here. Today marks the fourth day since over 3,000 freshmen arrived to campus, and the week has thus far played host to a wide variety of activities.

On Friday, North Campus was bustling with minivans and station wagons piled to the brim as new students moved into their dormitories. Orientation Leaders, aided by Resident Assistants and members of the Greek Community, helped families move in.

The overarching theme for the week was “superheroes,” encouraging Orientation Leaders to be heroes for their new students.