Yale Daily News
Yale College will conduct its pre-orientation programs remotely this upcoming fall, according to an announcement from a pre-orientation director last Wednesday.
In an email sent to First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trips leaders last week, FOOT Program Director Priscilla Leavitt announced that her program and other pre-orientation programs will move to an online format. The University will also delay registration for such programs.
“One thing you might be interested to hear is that all the Ivy Leagues have decided to have orientations online or canceled altogether,” Leavitt wrote in the email, which was obtained by the News.
Leavitt has not commented publicly on this decision, and no University administrator, including Leavitt and Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarríbar, responded to the News’ requests for comment. Three FOOT leaders confirmed to the News that they had received Leavitt’s email.
Currently, the College is postponing the application for pre-orientation programs until “more public safety information on group activities is available,” according to the pre-orientation website. The website notes that the University will release details regarding pre-orientation programs after administrators finalize a plan for the fall. According to a town hall earlier this month, University President Peter Salovey said Yale is considering the continuation of online instruction in the fall semester.
“The deans agreed that we should move the registration for the pre-orientation programs to early July AFTER Salovey has announced the plans for the fall,” Leavitt wrote in her email. “Connecticut is starting to see some signs of improvement on the virus and is now allowing certain non-essential businesses to reopen—of course, with lots of restrictions.”
In her email, Leavitt noted that the now-online program would begin around the same time that it would have originally — the week before school starts.
Pre-orientation programs are open to all new students, including transfers and Eli Whitney students.
According to the pre-orientation website, the programs form “a distinct community that connects incoming students to their new classmates and to upper-level students, the university, and the surrounding communities across New Haven and Connecticut.”
Along with FOOT, other pre-orientation programs include Cultural Connections, FOCUS, Harvest and Orientation for International Students.
Kelly Wei | kelly.wei@yale.edu