Reunion scheduled for Southeastern Orientation leaders
by SOUTHEASTERN PUBLIC INFORMATION
September 25, 2008
DURANT, Okla. -- The Office of Student Affairs at Southeastern Oklahoma State University will host the 20th anniversary reunion of the Orientation Leader program during Homecoming 2008.
Reunion events begin at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, with an anniversary party and finish with a group photo at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on the steps of the Morrison Building.
Vice President Sharon Robinson started the orientation program in 1989 when she hand-selected a group of 20 student leaders to create a welcoming environment for new students.
The program has grown over the years with more than 350 student leaders serving the University community as ambassadors, mentors and friends to incoming students. The 20th orientation was held this fall.
Originally named Orientation Leaders, the group's name has changed over the years from Super Savage Leaders in the '90s and now Savage Storm Leaders. The SSLs have become an integral part of student success.
The one-day orientation program started by Robinson has expanded to a comprehensive new-student orientation, including overnight experiences, credit-bearing success courses and specialty orientation programs for parents, transfer students and international students.
More than 10,000 students have benefited from the Southeastern orientation program and the SSLs.
Robinson said, "The most amazing part of the SSL program is the fact that these students are volunteers. Every hour spent as an SSL is a donated hour and every SSL donates hundreds of hours to Southeastern. The joke among current and former SSLs is that they do all that work for a T-shirt".
"So, Liz (Dean McCraw) decided to have a commemorative T-shirt for the first 100 SSL alumni to register for our reunion. Over the years, I have been gratified to hear from each succeeding year of new SSLs that the reason they wanted to be an SSL was because of the great experiences they had as new students from their SSLs".
"It is a great program and best of all, students are the beneficiaries. I am so excited. We are going to have a great 20-year Homecoming Reunion."
Former SSLs may register for the orientation reunion online at www.SE.edu/homecoming/ssl.