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Wednesday, June 22, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
Brook Menees, student body president, talks with Roberta Green of Vermillion, South Dakota, during the freshmen orientation luncheon. Menees participated in Saturday's orientation session under a false identity to find out how freshmen orientation correlated to University life.
Menees is new student again
Student body president goes through orientation under alias
By Paula Messbarger
Kansan staff writer
Some freshmen coming to the University of Kansas this fall might be surprised to learn that they already have met the leader of KU's student government.
Brook Menees, student body president, attended summer orientation Saturday, posing as Phil Glickstein of Wilanda, Mich. He told a group of about 20 freshmen that he came to KU because he heard it had a great agriculture school.
When they laughed, he said, "Well, I like poetry. I can study that."
Menees said he used a false name because he wanted to go through orientation as a new student would, so he could see more clearly what orientation was like.
Menees ran with the Top Priority coalition last spring and stressed the need for better student advising. He said that advising did not need a complete change but that it was obvious the students needed more than they were getting from it.
He was invited to participate in the program by the orientation staff about a month ago, but he said that it was his idea to go as a new student.
Menees went through every step of the orientation session except the individual advising and enrolling. The daylong orientation sessions started Thursday and will continue until July 25.
The program, for incoming freshman, transfer students and readmitted students, is designed to introduce them and their parents to the University and ease their transition into the KU community.
Kelli Clark St. Louis freshman, said she was scared about coming to KU.
"I have no idea of what classes I want to take," she said. "Things aren't set up step by step like they are in high school."
Sally Bryant, assistant dean of educational services, is the newly-appointed director of orientation. Orientation, which used to be part of the office of admissions, is now under the office of educational services. Bryant said the orientation was a dual process consisting of orientation and advising that she would like to continue through the new students' first year.
new students "in your area."
"We would like to do whatever we can to facilitate the advising and enrollment process," she said. "That's what we're all about."
Bryant works with a 12-student staff and two assistant directors. Mike Blumenthal, Omaha senior, is one of the assistant directors. Blumenthal said the orientation staff was made up of a diverse group including transfer students, minorities, a graduate student and fraternity and sorority members, all with various majors.
"If you were to come to orientation, no matter what, you would find someone to identify with here," he said.
The incoming students, their parents and Menees were welcomed by Bryant, Randa Dubnick, assistant director of the honors program, and Frances Horowitz, dean of the graduate school. The students and parents split up and spent their day hearing students, administrators and professors talk about everything from requirements and advising to decorating residence hall rooms and what bars to go to.
Kristian Clark, Overland Park incoming freshman,
said the orientation was informational for some but that
she already was familiar with most of it.
she already was terminated.
"I kind of feel like skipping everything and going straight to enrollment," she said. "I have been here so many times."
She said she came to Lawrence frequently for parties. Geri Chupinik, who flew in for orientation from Chicago, said, "It's kind of long." But it was worth it to fly here to hear the information."
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