Verilu Infante 
UTRGV – With precautions being taken due to COVID-19, New Student Orientations will be held virtually for the month of April.
Incoming students can sign up for an orientation date through assist and will be emailed instructions on how the Orientation process will work.
Coordinator of Recruitment and Orientation Krystal Marroquin states that the virtual orientations are divided into three parts, much like previous in-person orientations, but in a slightly different order, starting off with the Academic Advising Center.
“The Academic Advising Center will send them an email to select an appointment. It does start off with all 30 people in the same Zoom room and then we’re doing break out rooms based on colleges so they can be advised better,” said Marroquin.
According to Marroquin, once a student completes the advising process, they then get moved to an online module where students can go through different topics that would have been covered during an in-person orientation but at their own pace.
Students will then be emailed to join a virtual registration course to be taught how to register for classes and how the live schedule planner application works, but they will not be able to receive their UTRGV student ID until they are physically able to come to campus.
Marroquin states that the role of Student Orientation Leaders has also been modified to avoid losing connections made with students through interpersonal communication.
“I want to make them feel as family and friends, that we’re all Vaqueros and that we all come to this university for our goals,” said Gonzales.
Gonzalez states that though the orientation is being held in a different setting, she and other leaders are working on making it feel as welcoming as they would other in-person orientations.
Marroquin reassures that though this new format may seem a little intimidating, the admissions staff and orientation leaders are here to help.
“It’s a little unconventional, but we’re all doing what we can to be as helpful as possible in their transition from high school to college,” said Marroquin.
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