On Tuesday night, more than 50 students packed into a floor lounge, eyes glued to the television, as season two of the television series “Glee” premiered.
This viewing party is just one of Delta Terrace’s community events to bring together transfer students living in Delta Terrace.
Though Delta Terrace was supposed to house only transfer students, about one-fourth of the residents are of other years because of transfers signing up late for housing, said Eric Hertz, a third-year resident assistant in Delta Terrace.
Because transfer students have already experienced half of college, programs that the Delta Terrace buildings will hold will be targeted specifically toward transitioning them into life on the Hill.
“Summer orientation for transfers was only one day, and they didn’t get to experience much of what incoming freshmen did,” Hertz said. “Because of that, we are going to have a re-orientation to give them what they missed.”
The re-orientation includes a scavenger hunt around campus, called Carpe Noctem, and a lengthy tour of campus, two events that were part of first-years’ summer orientation.
Other events include a tailgate party for the next football game with a barbecue, Hertz said.
Enock Teefe, a fourth-year RA at Delta Terrace, said another main goal of these programs was to give students a chance to connect on an academic level.
“By letting people fill out interest surveys in each building, we were able to get transfers to buddy up with people that are taking the same classes so they can study together,” Teefe said.
These programs and activities span all eight buildings of Delta Terrace to emphasize team-building and community, said Cody Owsley, a fourth-year RA of the dormitory.
“Each of our floors has a different animal as a theme,” Owsley said. “We wanted to create a Delta Pack, making the community really feel like a group.”
Rico Ardy, a third-year transfer student from Indonesia, said he felt happy and grateful to be put in Delta Terrace.
“I’m lucky I get to share the experience with other people like me, and I now know some people in my major,” he said.
Ardy, a biology student, said he was looking forward to the transfers-only events, such as the tour of campus and workshops.
He added that other informal events in his building, like the viewing party of the television show “Glee,” adds to the community feeling.
On the other hand, Gianne Yeung, a third-year transfer student in psychology, said she had mixed feelings about being put in Delta Terrace.
She said she liked the area of Delta Terrace because it’s not that close to campus and she has her own quiet space in which to study.
However, Yeung said the residential halls are more social, which also appeals to her because she would get more chances to meet new people.
She added that transfer students are perhaps less energetic than students of other years.
Both Ardy and Yeung agreed that moving in to on-campus housing as a transfer student was very different than their past experiences in community college.
“In community college we just showed up to class,” Ardy said. “This experience is already making me feel like I am meeting a lot more like-minded people.”