WILLIAMSBURG — On Friday morning, freshman Ben Radomsky looked around the small, non-air conditioned dorm room in the Botetourt Complex where he would be living with a stranger.
Radomsky is one of the roughly 1,500 freshmen beginning their college career at the College of William and Mary this fall, the vast majority of whom moved into their dorms on Friday morning.
With the help of several student volunteers and his parents, Radomsky’s belongings had been swiftly carried from the car into his new room and he was faced with the first decision of college: How to arrange the furniture.
His mother, Jennifer Jones, encouraged her son to consider different configurations. She wanted him to check out the arrangement in his hall mates’ rooms and think about the best use of space rather than just leaving it the way it was.
“I like it the way it is,” Radomsky said.
All around campus these final moments were taking place — parents and caretakers giving last pieces of advice as their sons and daughters began life away from home, free to rearrange the furniture or leave it as they found it.
Greg Flatt, 45, of Nashville, Tenn., stood watch over a pile of his daughter’s belongings outside the Botetourt Complex and ruminated on how life was changing as he dropped his oldest child off at college.
“She is our first of four. It is going to be bittersweet,” he said. “Our family is going to be dynamically changed forever. Her mother will cry.”
But the pep-rally atmosphere outside Botetourt drowned out any sniffles.
A group of more than 20 neon-clad orientation aides stood in front of the Botetourt Complex singing, dancing and chanting pieces of advice such as “Don’t drop that mini-fridge!” They offered custom renditions of pop songs with the lyrics all replaced by one word — Botetourt.
The group’s love for their residence hall is only trumped by their love for William and Mary. For the next four days the aides will school the freshmen in William and Mary traditions — beginning Friday night with the freshmen serenading school President W. Taylor Reveley III.
“We all have a very strong love for William and Mary and our job is to spread it,” said orientation aide Jaimie Miller, 20.
It seemed to be working.
“That was awesome. They start chanting your name as you walk to the dorm, and it makes you feel really welcome,” said Tatyanna Walker, an 18-year-old freshman from Danville.
But the aides’ job description goes beyond indoctrination. They will teach the freshmen about William and Mary’s policies, lead seminars on making wise decisions and help the newcomers deal with reality once the excitement of move-in morning had died down.
“The transition does get harder because you are away from home,” said orientation aide Anna Martin, 19. “(We are) just helping people along if they get homesick.”
The aides also are there to help freshmen acclimate to life with a stranger in a small room.
Inside his dorm room, Radomsky was not worried about his roommate. He had emailed back and forth with him and said he seemed like a “good guy.”
“My greatest fear is that we won’t get along and there will be a lot of awkward silences,” Radomsky said.
Radomsky is participating in the St Andrews William and Mary Joint Degree Programme, so he will spend two years studying at St. Andrews in Scotland and will graduate with the insignia of both schools on his diploma.
At 2 p.m., Radomsky and his fellow freshmen were scheduled for their first hall meeting. At that point, many parents would say their final goodbyes.
When asked how he felt about leaving his son behind, Radomsky’s father, Mike, said he had mixed emotions.
“(I’m) excited, sad, proud,” he said. “Probably proud most of all.”
McKinnon can be reached by phone at 757-341-2341.
Orientation events
Sat., Aug 20 – New Student Orientation Kick-Off – William and Mary Hall, Kaplan Arena, 8:30 a.m.
Sun., Aug 21 – W&M Night of Entertainment, William and Mary Hall, Kaplan Arena, 9 to 11 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 24 – Undergraduate fall classes begin
