SWARM prepares new students for college life at ESU

Jordan Leigh Haiduk / The Bulletin

Senior communication and public relations major Taylor Relph attempts to keep her SWARM group energized during downtime. Relph played many different games with her group about ESU.

The spring semester marks the largest part of an ongoing tradition at Emporia State. SWARM, one of the most unifying experiences offered by ESU, will kick in to full swing in the coming months.

“SWARM is a lot of fun for incoming students and it teaches them how to be successful,” said Laura Eddy, Director of Admission. “We look forward to each of them.”

According to the admissions department, SWARM has a yearly total of 4000 students and parents come through the program. Of these, 1200-1500 students will come through between the months of March and August. This year, there are 10 scheduled swarm dates on ESU’s calendar; two in March, two in April, three in May and one in each of the months of June, July and August.

SWARM is broken into three different sessions depending on a student’s individual needs as a new freshman student, a first generation college student or a transfer student.

The session for new freshmen students features presentations and programs to get students excited about starting college as well as take care of registering for classes, signing up for a Lyon County State Bank account and getting their student ID.

The program sees many first generation college students (30-40 percent of students) while the rest is made up of transfer and new freshmen students. SWARM offers first generation students a special session to speak with other first generation college students about issues or concerns they may have.

The session offers mentoring support as well as information on how to succeed academically and socially in a very new experience. Transfer students are also offered sessions specifically designed for their needs and the opportunity to speak with current ESU students who transferred from another university. Students will also receive information about on- and off-campus housing, parking and general education requirements.

The program is an organized way not only to efficiently register a large number of new students for classes and have them processed, but also for parents to get a feel for their child’s school. On a typical SWARM day, parents can hear about a wide variety of subjects connected with their child’s college experience including financial aid, residential life, career services, campus security and college transition.

Parents also have the option of engaging in a question and answer session with current ESU students. The session gives parents the opportunity to have their questions answered on a more personal level. Following the sessions, parents typically have lunch in the Lakeview cafeteria and have a chance to look through informational booths on student activities. A residence hall and campus tour is also available for those who choose to participate.

Selection for SWARM leaders starts in the fall and applications are made available to students in the CSI office. According to the application, eligible students are those who have at least a 2.0 GPA, availability to serve as a SWARM leader for ten dates, two letters of recommendation and ability to enroll in CW280. CW280 is a four- credit course that SWARM leaders take to prepare for their duties as a SWARM leader as well as to acquaint them with the different aspects and services offered on campus. There is no official requirement of time previously spent at ESU and Eddy said that freshmen who have attended just one semester are welcome to apply.

After processing applications, a selection committee made up of members of the admissions department and CSI conduct personal interviews with the candidates.

When it comes to choosing SWARM leaders, members of the selection committee already have an idea of who they are looking for.

“We look for someone who has had involvement on campus and has lots of excitement for ESU,” Eddy said.

Once selected, students take the CW280 class and take older SWARM leaders on tours to practice their skills prior to leading their own student SWARM group.

Overall, the SWARM program strives to get new students excited about the coming academic year.

“SWARM is about showing the campus and getting students ready for the next part of their schooling,” said Eddy.