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Term of Service: January 1st to October 31st 2010.

To view full story and video clips, visit http://www.kcoy.com/global/story.asp?s=11138465.

More than 3,500 new students fanned out across San Luis Obispo on Tuesday on the first day of Cal Poly’s annual Week of Welcome...


To see the full story, visit http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/851162.html.

Monday, September 14, 2009 Reported by: Stacy Daniel

Businesses in San Luis Obispo prepare for thousands of incoming students as they take part in Cal Poly's Week of Welcome...


To see the original story and view video clips, visit http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=11130493.

A New Flavor at Women’s Programs & Services

SAN LUIS OBISPO – This year Cal Poly's Women's Programs and Services will be making changes to become a more dynamic, fun and motivating program. Women’s Programs and Services is enthusiastic to begin a new year of entertaining events aimed at educating our community on issues concerning women at Cal Poly and across the globe. We are excited to introduce a new member to our Student Life and Leadership team. Christina Kaviani is the new AmeriCorps Promise Fellow who will serve as the Assistant Coordinator of Women’s Programs and Services. She recently graduated from Cal Poly with a Masters in Education, specializing in guidance and counseling. Christina has volunteered for over two years with the SARP Center and has years of experience working with young women. Her goals for this upcoming year include;

– Create more awareness and action with Women’s Programs & Services
– Increase collaborations with more events on and off campus
– Increase male involvement in Women’s Programs & Services
– Have more interactive and fun activities for all our events

Throughout this year Women’s Programs and Services will be holding many special events, workshops, and ongoing groups in order to raise awareness and broaden knowledge of women’s issues. These programs are designed to provide students with tools which facilitate emotional, physical, and mental health. Please mark your calendars for our first event, Love Your Body Day on Oct 19th and 20th. Following this event will be the world renowned Vagina Monologues. We are geared for a very fabulous round of events from start to finish.

Cal Poly Women’s Programs and Services challenges and supports students while providing opportunities for connection, collaboration, and community in which all women and men are welcome. Christina has an open door policy and encourages people to visit Women’s Programs in University Union Room 217 during the start of the school year and throughout.

Please visit the Women’s Programs and Services website for further information on how to get involved.

http://studentlife.calpoly.edu/womensprograms

SAN LUIS OBISPO – In celebration of Latino Heritage Month, the Cal Poly MultiCultural Center’s Another Type of Groove presents Chicano spoken word poet and activist Tomás Riley at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in Chumash Auditorium.

Riley’s performance poetry career began in 1994 as a member of the Taco Shop Poets, an eminent Chicano spoken word collective that balanced poetry with live music and grassroots politics. As a member of the Taco Shop Poets and as a soloist, Riley has performed at more than 200 venues across the country. His work has been described as a meld of Chicano bilingualism and conscious cultural politics set to a soundtrack of hip hop, jazz and indigenous ceremony.

Riley was featured on HBO’s documentary “Americanos: Latino Life in the United States” and in the PBS series “American Family.” His poetry has been anthologized in “Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam” and in “Chorizo Tongue Fire: The Taco Shop Poets Anthology” in addition to appearing in many other publications, both in written and audio formats. Riley is director of Residencies at Youth Speaks, a literary arts organization for teen writers in San Francisco.

Another Type of Groove is a spoken word poetry event held the first Wednesday of each month throughout the school year. It is intended to create a place for the interchange of ideas, beliefs and personal expression. Each event is free and open to the public and features a highlighted poet as well as an open mic opportunity for interested students, staff, faculty, and community members.

The MultiCultural Center cultivates a campuswide community that represents and celebrates the diversity of Cal Poly’s student body.

For more information, contact Josue Urrutia or Saba Abuhay at 805-756-1405 or mcc@calpoly.edu, or visit the MultiCultural Center Web site at http://multicultural.calpoly.edu.

Cal Poly was ranked as one of the Best Colleges according to 2010 U.S. News and World Report for its Service Learning program. Service Learning uses a learning strategy that incorporates community service with instruction and reflection exercises to enhance learning experiences and teach civic responsibilities and strengthen student-community bonds. Service Learning creates a hands-on approach to learning and which coincides well with Cal Poly’s motto “Learn by Doing”. In the 2008-2009 school year Cal Poly had 38 Service Learning courses with 1,396 students volunteering 15,617 hours.

Dates New Student Orientation: Tuesday, Sept. 15 – Saturday, Sept. 19

WOW Personnel
45+ hours of leader training
680 trained student volunteers
6 Executive Board Members – Student Coordinators
2 Professional staff members
2 Graduate Assistants

New Students
3,500 expected WOWies
312 WOW groups

History 1957 – Original Welcome Week was established. WOW celebrated its 50th anniversary two years ago!
What is now known as Week of Welcome began in the early 1960s.
See http://orientation.calpoly.edu/wow for additional WOW history.

On-Campus Participation 200 Student Clubs
26 Campus Resources
6 Colleges

Community Participation
75 local business sponsors
34 off-campus businesses offering discounted activities for WOW participants

Success and Wellness Awareness Topics
Social and Intellectual Awareness:
Campus: Diversity, Involvement/Opportunity
Community: SLO Introduction, Sustainability, Laws/Rules, Community Service, Arts and Culture
College Life: Residence Hall Life, Relationships, Campus Culture
Physical Awareness:
Topics: Personal Safety, Sexual Awareness, Sexual Assault, Violence & Its
Consequences, Drugs and Alcohol, Driving/Biking Under the Influence
Mental and Emotional Awareness:
Topics: Positive Body Image, Eating Disorders, Emotions: Anxiety and Stress,
Abuse and Addiction, Depression, Self-harm and Suicide, Emotional Wisdom

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly PREFACE committee and the Week of Welcome Orientation Program will host the eighth annual PREFACE book discussion on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 9 a.m. The trained faculty, staff, and community members volunteer as discussion facilitators and will meet on campus with new students to discuss this year’s selected book, Flight by Sherman Alexie.

PREFACE offers new Cal Poly students the opportunity to make friends, break the ice and talk about something they have in common: reading. It is a way for students to share in a college level discussion with their peers and understand Cal Poly’s academic expectations before beginning fall classes.

New students are expected to finish reading Flight before the end of summer. When students arrive on campus for WOW, they meet with their WOW group and PREFACE volunteer facilitator to discuss the book. During the discussion, volunteer facilitators and students talk about the plot, themes, and issues that are presented in the book and relate them to college life as well as to the intellectual expectations of college.

PREFACE offers new students and community members a chance to meet and become connected there by enhancing community relations. This year, PREFACE will host “Literature to Life” who will perform Flight. A Literature to Life Performance is a verbatim theatrical adaptation of significant American literature brought to life by professional actors. View the PREFACE Web site www.preface.calpoly.edu for special event times and dates.

“It's interesting to discuss many of life's challenges during PREFACE discussions and how they affect everyone differently. It gives me a new perspective toward certain issues. PREFACE is like breakfast – the best way to start your college career.” says Paul Foster, a past WOW leader.

“Every year students tell us how much they enjoyed discussing the book with their peers and hearing varied interpretations and perspectives of the book. Students also appreciate the additional PREFACE programming that compliments the book reading experience,” said Patricia Ponce, PREFACE program coordinator.

For additional information, visit www.preface.calpoly.edu.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – On Friday, Sept. 18, as many as 5,000 new students and their Week of Welcome leaders will take to the streets of downtown San Luis Obispo for SLO Bound, an annual Cal Poly Week of Welcome event that introduces the university’s new students to their new community. The theme for this year is “SLO Necessities!”

After seeing a presentation entitled “SLO Life & Respect” about Cal Poly, the community, college life, respect and diversity, the new students get on buses and head downtown. The event begins at 11 a.m., when the first wave of new Cal Poly students and their WOW leaders arrive at Mitchell Park for a zero-waste picnic that includes group pictures, music, giveaways and booths promoting San Luis Obispo businesses.

From Mitchell Park the new students will travel through downtown, getting a tour of more than 90 downtown businesses! The WOW groups will then go to Mission Plaza to experience another wave of San Luis Obispo businesses in a carnival-like setting before heading back to campus. This is where the new students receive their traditional SLO Bound t-shirts which are sponsored by many SLO businesses.

SLO Bound provides an opportunity for new students to discover what the San Luis Obispo community has to offer while learning about how to respect the community. The event also provides exposure for local businesses both downtown and in the surrounding areas as a chance to introduce themselves to thousands of students. “SLO Bound is a great experience because it gives the new students a chance to actually experience the San Luis Obispo downtown in an energetic and exciting environment,” says WOW leader Jodi Hammerwold.

SLO Bound is part of WOW’s community orientation programming which includes a presentation, the event on Friday, September 18, and community service events. The community orientation ends on Saturday, Sept. 19, with WOW’s Days of Community Service throughout SLO County.

For more information, please contact Jason Mockford at (805)756-2477.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – On Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday Sept. 16, 17, and 19, from noon to 5 p.m., about 700 new Cal Poly students will kick off their Cal Poly careers by helping their new community as part of the Week of Welcome’s sixth annual WOW Day of Service. This year’s service opportunities span three different days to give groups more opportunities to serve.

New Cal Poly students and WOW leaders will volunteer throughout San Luis Obispo to clean up local garden projects, collect canned food for populations in need, and provide staffing for local public programs. The goal of WOW Days of Service is to provide support the community and to begin enriching new students’ college careers by showing them how to make a difference while at Cal Poly. It is also a way to further introduce new students to the San Luis Obispo community.

WOW continually strives to show new and continuing students many different ways they can become involved with community service programs and to show how their work benefits the San Luis Obispo area.

Cal Poly’s Student Community Services organization works with WOW to coordinate the annual WOW Days of Service event as well as other service events throughout the year. Not only do leaders volunteer with their WOW groups, but WOW and SCS coordinate two other days of service – one in winter for WOW Team who train the leaders and another for WOW Leaders in Spring. Community service is integrated into every level of the program.

Student coordinator Jessica Hahn says that WOW Days of Service introduce new students to the community by showing them different organizations they can get involved with. "Participating in community service during the first week in a new community is a great way for students to feel involved in their new home." Local organizations are grateful of student participation in projects outside the scope of their everyday activities as well.

For more information, contact Jason Mockford at (805) 756-2477.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – In a continuing effort to diminish the Cal Poly Week of Welcome Orientation Program’s environmental impact on the community, Week of Welcome is striving towards less paper, food, and material waste in every level of its programming.

WOW sustainability begins with the Week of Welcome Executive Board who has been constantly making decisions throughout the year in favor of more sustainable solutions and practices for training of the WOW leaders and also for welcoming new Cal Poly students.

Educating leaders and new students is a foundational step towards becoming more sustainable. During training, the leaders were encouraged the think sustainably by participating in a recycling drive and accessing supplemental training materials online as opposed to being offered printed materials. The WOW Website has many useful tips and resources for WOW leaders, new students, and their families. Also, there will be informational displays up during the WOW orientation week about ways to be more sustainable during meals and everyday life.

Another aspect of WOW’s continued sustainability is eliminating excess paper usage. Last year, WOW replaced its printed schedule booklet of events with an online schedule and posters placed around campus. This year WOW will further limit the paper handed out to new students and the WOWies will receive flash hard drives with information about campus resources that will completely replace the paper packet that was offered previously. Not only will the flash drive help WOW use less paper, but the incoming students can use them in their academic studies as well.

As for the WOW promotional items given to the WOWies, the flash hard drives will be given out with reusable grocery bags and reusable water bottles. Not only will these attempts at sustainability help reduce waste during WOW, but they will also help Cal Poly and the community save money by eliminating excess efforts and costs.

WOW also provides a zero-waste meal for the new students and WOW leaders during the downtown SLO Bound event on Friday of the Week. This is the fifth year of the zero-waste lunch during WOW’s SLO Bound event.

Each year, WOW continues to promote the trend of sustainability at Cal Poly by incorporating new ways to market and get information to WOWies and WOW leaders.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – This year’s Cal Poly Week of Welcome (WOW) Orientation Program presents students with an Awareness and Respect series, developed based on a success and wellness model for college students. Despite the fun, seemingly carefree environment the new students experience during the week, the orientation program takes a serious tone to educate new students on issues they may face in their transition to college.

The WOW Awareness series spans four days, and covers issues including campus life, the community, diversity, respect and inclusion, body image, alcohol, and stress. The Awareness and Respect series will be kicked off on Wednesday, Sept. 16 with a new component this year called Respect Workshops. Each new student will go through the workshop, which includes a brief video, activity and discussion setting the tone for inclusive excellence, respect and appreciating diversity as a new member of Cal Poly.

The next component of the series, the “Personal Responsibilities” presentation, will take place Thursday, Sept. 17, with presentations in Harman Hall in the Performing Arts Center. The presentation focuses on some topics that students may encounter such as drugs and alcohol, sexual awareness and personal safety.

The Awareness presentations continue Friday, Sept. 18, taking place in Harman Hall and in Chumash Auditorium. This awareness session, “SLO Life and Respect,” addresses a student’s role in the San Luis Obispo community, respect and diversity.

The series concludes on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Harman Hall, with the “Coping With Stress” presentation, which informs students about stress, depression, body image and eating disorders.

WOW’s Awareness program not only informs new students about some of the issues they may face in college, it helps new students understand the issues, introduce them to local resources available to them, and facilitate a smooth transition into college. The program provides a way for the university and the city to showcase resources and organizations that support students.

Ashley Goliti and Jodi Hammerwold, the Awareness committee chairwomen, worked this year to integrate a tone of respect into all components of the week. “We really wanted to take into account issues and events that had taken place on our campus this year in hopes of establishing a new, more respectful and inclusive tone for entering students,” said Goliti.

For more information about WOW programs, contact Jason Mockford at (805) 756-2477.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Beginning September 15, WOW will welcome thousands of new students to San Luis Obispo.

The Week of Welcome program takes place Sept. 15 through Sept. 19, and it will introduce approximately 4,200 new students to the Cal Poly campus and San Luis Obispo. WOW helps students make connections with peers, faculty and staff, student clubs and SLO businesses to ease the transition to college life. Additionally, the orientation program informs the new students about issues students may face during their college years and healthy ways to handle these issues.

WOW is a nationally recognized program for its quality of programming, quantity of leaders and unique style!

WOW participants can look forward to various activities including a trip to downtown San Luis Obispo called SLO Bound, a day dedicated to academics, awareness sessions on issues relevant to college life, multiple days of community service, and respect workshops.

For more information, please contact Jason Mockford at 805-756-2477.

SAN LUIS OBISPO - On Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., over 250 Leaders-in-Training involved with Cal Poly's Week of Welcome Orientation program will donate their time to the community as part of a tri-annual Day of Service.

The Leaders-in-Training will volunteer throughout San Luis Obispo working with various organizations such as Cal Poly Organic Farm, The Environmental Center of SLO Country, Morro Coast Audubon Society, One Cool Earth, Rancho El Chorro Outdoor School, San Luis Obispo County Parks Trail Day: Santa Margarita Lake, and Transitions Mental Health & Growing Grounds Farm. The goal is to provide community service and preview to a bigger Day of Service that happens during the Fall with new students. WOW continually strives to show students ways they can become involved in the community through community service programs, and how their work benefits the San Luis Obispo area.

Cal Poly's Student Community Service organization works with WOW to coordinate the annual event. Community service is integrated into every level of the program. Not only do the Leaders-in-Training benefit, local organizations are grateful of student participation in projects outside the scope of their everyday activities as well. The estimated cost per hour that each volunteer saves the organizations is approximately $20.25 which amounts to a total of more than $18,000 saved in one day.

SAN LUIS OBISPO - On Saturday, January 24, 2009 sixty-four leaders from various Cal Poly leadership organizations including WOW, Open House, the Multicultural Center, Women's Center, Student Community Services, the Pride Center, and AmeriCorps joined forces to give back to the community. The Day of Service took place at El Chorro Regional Park at the AIDS Support Network Memorial Grove.

When the day began, the memorial needed some attention. Weeds blemished the path, overgrowth cluttered the gazebo, but the leaders from the various Cal Poly programs took charge. As the day progressed, the students saw the results of their hard work and watched the transformation of the memorial. Kaitlin Hill, a WOW team member stated, "It is a step toward becoming a better person. Each weed pulled is a step towards a better you and a better world for everyone."

The Student Life & Leadership organizations united as a team to accomplish the task at hand. Throughout the day, the students’ positivity and energy kept spirits high. At Cal Poly, each organization usually works separately, but during this Day of Service each organization worked literally hand-in-hand to complete the job.

At the end of the day, many shared the same feelings of accomplishment that Patty Lopez from the Multicultural Center expressed, "I think the best part of today was seeing the difference between now and then. It's just so beautiful now. I have a new appreciation and respect for the community. It was so good to be working with everyone and that I was able to be a part of the change.” These Cal Poly leaders were thrilled to give back to the San Luis Obispo Community, and will undoubtedly continue serving and using their energy for good. For more information on Student Life & Leadership, see http://studentlife.calpoly.edu .

SAN LUIS OBISPO — With spring quickly approaching, the time has come once again for WOW to begin their annual Spring Training. Each year the WOW Team trains over six hundred student volunteers to be WOW Orientation Leaders in the fall who lead groups of incoming students around Cal Poly and the surrounding San Luis Obispo community. Leaders help the students become better connected in their new home with activities such as campus tours, awareness presentations, a trip downtown, and community service.

The WOW program has incorporated numerous changes for Spring Training as well as for the week. Spring Training will run from April 4 through June 2. For the first time ever potential orientation leaders will initially meet on a Saturday where inspiring activities await. Thereafter, meetings are every Tuesday night from 7-10 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium and will cover some of the following topics: communication skills, group facilitation, event planning, community orientation, campus knowledge and awareness, working with parents and families, and a success and wellness series discussing social issues.

During the first week of spring quarter the WOW Team set up an information tent in the UU and on Dexter Lawn recruiting students interested in being a leader. The WOW Team will be a key resource for answers to any questions or concerns of potential Orientation Leaders. The dates and times on the tent are as follows:

• Monday, March 30 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the UU Plaza
• Wednesday, April 1, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the UU Plaza
• Wednesday, April 1, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Dexter Lawn
• Thursday, April 2, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the UU Plaza
• Thursday, April 2, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Dexter Lawn
• Friday, April 3, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the UU Plaza

With its new fusion of tradition and renovation, WOW leaders are looking forward to yet another exciting year of orientation! More information can be found on the WOW Website at http://orientation.calpoly.edu/wow.