08/17/18
By Diane Gasper-O’Brien
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. – Three Fort Hays State University freshmen said they usually celebrate their birthdays with family and friends.

During one of their first nights on the FHSU campus, Eric Berry, Sarah Makinster and Nyza Milligan experienced one of the largest birthday parties of their 19 years.

Those three, who were all celebrating their birthdays Thursday, were among the nearly 800 freshmen who participated in a pep rally of sorts at Lewis Field Stadium.

During “Traditions Night” – a popular event on campus during move-in week at FHSU – new freshmen enjoyed a BBQ dinner near Custer Hall, then marched to the football stadium for a night of meet-and-greet activities called “Traditions Night.”

Introducing the freshmen to some FHSU traditions, the Tiger Marching Band played as they marched into the stadium, making for a festive mood as the FHSU cheerleaders and dance team performed much like in a pep rally. Members of the fall sports teams also spoke, encouraging the new students to come support them.

“This definitely is the biggest (pep rally) ever for me,” said Berry, who graduated in a class of 60 at Hugoton High School.

Makinster’s high school graduating class in Denver was more than 10 times that size (700), and Milligan, who is from Manhattan, also had a large class (450).

Nonetheless, they said they also were impressed with the size of Thursday’s turnout.

The 80 orientation leaders – current FHSU students – who helped out with the event appeared to be having as much fun as the freshmen.

“It’s neat to see each year the people who come in hesitant, and they start talking to people and making friends,” said Adam Schibi, one of the orientation leaders.

Schibi is a senior from Hays who was so impressed with Traditions Night his freshman year in 2014 that he has helped out at the event every year since. He said he especially enjoyed participating this year, getting to see a lot of the new faces on campus as president of the Student Government Association.

It was a lively atmosphere on a pleasant evening under the lights. A representative from Playfair, an out-of-state tour company that performs team-building experiences on college campuses, guided the freshmen through various activities on the football field. Jacob Schoenfeld shouted intermittently over the microphone, “Smile; it’s your first day of college.”

Schoenfeld, a senior from Salida, Colo., is president of the University Activities Board, which sponsors Traditions Night, one of several events geared to make freshmen more comfortable in their first few days on campus. Like Schibi, Schoenfeld said it’s a good icebreaker for the newcomers.

“A lot of them seem skeptical, and it can be overwhelming,” he said. “But when they start participating in the activities, they start to get more relaxed. It definitely draws the introverts out more.

Kailee Gibson, a senior orientation leader from Ozawkie in northeast Kansas, agreed.

“It makes you get out of your comfort zone,” she said. “Our job is to spot ones who appear more cautious and try to get them more involved. I think it's a really good thing.”

It’s beneficial even for those who make friends easily, said Katy Walters, a freshman from Hays.

Walters, a vocal performance major, participated in 4-H while growing up with three older brothers, and she was active in high school at Thomas More Prep-Marian as well. So striking up a conversation with just about anyone is no problem.

But she confirmed that the meet-and-greet activities are also good for extroverts.

“Going in blind, you don’t know what it’s all about,” Walters said. “Then they have you shake people’s hands and introduce yourself to others. Right now, I don’t know if people really realize all they get out of this because it’s fun and interesting, and it all goes pretty fast. But down the road, we will see people on campus that we met tonight and recognize them. I’ll bet I met 35 to 40 people just tonight.”