The Ties That Bind

Chapter 15

     The auditorium was packed when Kasden and Luke arrived for freshmen orientation on their first official day of school. Their friends were already seated, somewhere, finding them was going to be a challenge. Kasden was contemplating just finding anywhere to sit when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Swiping the screen, he saw a text from Davy saying that they were sitting in section C, row 50. That solved the problem of finding their friends; now they just had to work their way through the crowd to get to the appropriate section.

     "Your attention, please. Can everyone please find a seat and we will get started in a few minutes." A young man standing at the front of the auditorium announced using a PA system that was set up nearby.

     The noise began to quiet down somewhat as stragglers found places to sit and people turned their attention to the guy who'd made the announcement. Before long, another group of students made their way across the stage to stand next to the first guy at the microphone.

     "Welcome to Freshman Orientation, everyone. I'm Miles Standing, your Student Body President for this year. It's great to see so many new faces. You probably have a lot of questions about how everything works here at Trenton University. That is what we're here for today; If you look around, you will notice a number of people wearing Blue and White arm bands. These are volunteers with the Student Body government, and they're here today to help answer questions as well as to help you find where things are located."

     "Each of you should have received an orientation packet containing a map of the campus, a campus directory that lists the offices and office hours of the faculty and staff here at the university. Everyone is here to help you have the best experience possible as Wolverines. Don't hesitate to take advantage of these resources; we're all here for you!"

     "I'd like to begin by introducing the Student Body Government. To my right here is your Vice President, Shellie McMann, Treasurer Deric Hannover and Secretary Eliza Petersen. We're your student body government."

     "Our offices are located in the Student Union building on the second floor. Anyone who is interested in participating in our student government is welcome to come talk to us; we'd love to have as much participation as possible. Remember, we represent you, the student body at Trenton University, and our number one goal is to advocate for the students."

     "On my left here, is the Student Body Council. They're the go-betweens between the student body as a whole and the faculty. If you have any problems, please bring them to the council and they will do their best to handle everything."

     "They are Stephanie Smith, Alan and Adam Rogers, they're the carbon copies standing there (he pointed at the twins), Sandy Wadsworth, Wanda Banks, Carrie Fellows, David Bowmont and Michael Smith, no, he and Stephanie are not related."

     There was a lot more after that; discussions about university rules, and policies about sexual harassment and bullying - the school had a 'No Tolerance' policy towards both. Either action could get you suspended, and you could potentially face criminal charges. All allegations of bullying and sexual assault were taken seriously and investigated by the Student Council as well as department faculty members, and campus security. 'Treat others with respect, and you will receive respect in return' was campus policy.

     There was a question/answer session that went on for about thirty minutes, followed by different clubs and athletic groups, each conducting small presentations about their particular group and inviting the new students to join.

     Kasden gave consideration to joining the Trenton University Gay-Straight Alliance; he later stopped by their table to collect more information on the club. Bernice told her friends that she was going to take a look into volunteering with the student government; she said it struck a chord when they talked about it.