By Matt Thomas ’00
Like any college or university, Gustavus Adolphus College has many traditions. One tradition that many first-year Gustavus students experience is being welcomed to campus by a Gustie Greeter on move-in day.
With whistles in hand and unending enthusiasm, the Gustie Greeters have been making New Student Orientation a memorable experience for incoming students for many years.
“When new students drive up College Avenue, they are experiencing a wide range of emotions,” Sophomore Greeter Emma Strand said. “Some are excited, some are in tears, and others aren’t quite sure what they’re feeling. Initially, the Greeters serve as a distraction of sorts—families can take a break from their move-in day anxieties to laugh at the Greeters’ goofiness.”
During the first few hours of new student move-in day, the Gustie Greeters do a lot of yelling, cheering, and whistling, but the group’s duties and responsibilities stretch much farther than that.
Comprised of 50 upper-class student leaders, the Gustie Greeters plan, organize, and lead incoming students through New Student Orientation. Incoming students are divided into small groups of 10 to 15 students and are assigned to a Gustie Greeter. Each Greeter leads activities, discussions, and events during the four-day orientation program and continues as a mentor through the entire year.
“Greeters are there to show new students that someone cares and is excited to have them on campus,” Strand said. “They are there to be a friend, to be a role model, and to provide encouragement to first-year students and to one another. They are there to be a good listener, to give advice, and to offer a kind smile. Above all else, a Greeter’s job is simply to be there, no matter how big or small the problem or triumph because after all, the most important part of the Gustavus community is knowing you always have someone you can turn to.”
The orientation program is designed to offer incoming students an easier transition to their new life at Gustavus. Gustie Greeters are there to answer questions, provide support, organize activities to meet other new students, and generally help incoming students through the hurdles college life can present. It’s a job that every Greeter takes seriously.
“I enjoy being a Gustie Greeter because in many cases I am the first real impression of Gustavus that first-year students receive,” senior Greeter Luke Garrison said. “That is a tremendous responsibility that I value deeply.”
“Greeters are like walking, talking, cheering billboards for Gustavus,” Sophomore Greeter Whitney Westley said. “The purpose of a Gustie Greeter is to make first-year students feel welcome and at home in this new community.”
While the orientation program and the Gustie Greeters provide many benefits to first-year students, the Greeters themselves tend to take a lot away from the experience.
“I enjoyed my experience as a Gustie Greeter because I strongly appreciated the sense of community that we, as Greeters, can bring to the first-year students,” junior Greeter Jenny Broman said. “Not only do we welcome them into Gustavus with our unmatched enthusiasm, but we also get to help acquaint them with Gustavus in many ways.”
“The most rewarding part of being a Greeter is watching the students in your group progress throughout their first year and being able to help them through some of the harder times by sharing some of the experiences that I had my first year,” senior Kelly Sparks said. “I have kept in close contact with many of the students in my groups throughout my three years as a Greeter and each and every one of them has amazed me with how much they have grown at Gustavus.”
The Gustie Greeters are supervised by Megan Ruble, Director of Student Activities at Gustavus.
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