PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 19, 2020) – The New Student Orientation (NSO) experience at Prairie View A&M University typically fills the campus with hundreds of new Panthers eager to continue their academic careers. Students meet with advisors, register for classes, secure housing and financial aid, and meet their future classmates, to name a few items. But due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the university has had to switch gears.
Beginning Thursday, May 21, PVAMU officially kicks off its virtual NSO experience.
“Our New Student Orientation is the official start of PVAMU’s First Year Experience (FYE) and is comprised of three key parts: Part I – Online Module, Part II – Prepping for “The Hill,” and Part III – Panther Camp,” said Valerie L. Holmes, Assistant Vice President for Student Experience. “All undergraduate students participate in these three sessions to ensure they are prepared and ready for the first day of class.”
Part I will expose incoming students to essential areas at PVAMU, such as Financial Aid, Advising, and Housing. Students will also receive information related to onboarding and navigating the university.
“The link for them to log into the portal, as well as another link for their parents and family members to go through their own, separate session, will become available on Thursday. Students must first register for New Student Orientation before they can access the link – registration instructions can also be found on our NSO website,” said Holmes.
The link for Part II, or Prepping for “The Hill,” goes live on the orientation website on May 25.
“This will be a multi-platform experience that focuses on tasks, activities, and events that are designed to build community and prepare students for life on ‘The Hill,’” said Holmes. “Students will spend the summer bonding and building a virtual community based on their majors and personal interests.”
Part III wraps up the online experience and transitions the students to an in-person experience. It starts with New Student Move-In on August 16 and ends August 21.
“Part III is Panther Camp, or a full, week-long immersion into the traditions and culture of the PVExperience,” said Holmes. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Panther Camp will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual experiences for students. They will get an early start on learning how to navigate campus with a hyper-focus on health and safety.”
And, according to Holmes, students will never be left in the dark during the new NSO process, especially with the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation.
“Students will receive updates via social media, phone calls, text messages, emails, and the recently revamped NSO website,” said Holmes. “Even though it won’t be a full-on in-person experience, New Student Orientation will be so much more engaging than ever before. Plus, all of the information they need will be right at their fingertips. I am proud of how our campus partners have pulled together to shift their thinking from how orientation has been to what it must be to meet today’s demands. It’s going to be a great experience.”
For more information about PVAMU’s 2020 New Student Orientation, contact the New Student Orientation Hotline at 936-261-5912, by email at NSO@pvamu.edu, or visit www.pvamu.edu/orientation.
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