Megan Orth
This summer MSU will welcome another excited group of incoming freshman to campus for the annual Academic Orientation Program, commonly referred to as AOP.
AOP is a two-day orientation program that allows students to experience MSU in a more hands-on way, involving welcome sessions, campus tours, housing tours, a resource fair, advising meetings, and opportunities to interact with fellow incoming freshmen. Transportation is available for all tours around campus.
RCPD is also available to meet with students who have a disability and may need certain academic accommodations once they start at MSU.
RCPD Specialist Ginger Martz notes that “the experience of AOP gives students an idea regarding the campus size, class sizes, housing arrangements, professor’s expectations regarding learning, the type of classes they will be taking, etc.
“The AOP experience gives all students attending insight to MSU.
“Through this experience some students with disabilities realize they may need academic accommodations while attending MSU, and then they will make contact with RCPD or be referred by AOP if they ask about disability services.”
By this point in the summer, RCPD has heard from many students and we encourage anyone interested in RCPD services to get started by registering online or contacting us prior to AOP to get started.
RCPD frequently meets with students who have registered and their families following the AOP session as a way to get them started and advise them regarding the process of registering for services and accommodations.
Parents do not attend AOP with students, but do have their own parent orientation program at the same time at the Kellogg Center on campus where campus tours are provided, questions are answered and worries are assuaged.
This year the theme of AOP is “Footprints”, following the notion that “Spartans WILL have an effect, create change, and leave ‘footprints’ in everything they do.” RCPD strives to ensure that all students, regardless of disability are able to leave their footprints at MSU from the very beginning, even at AOP.
RCPD also offers their own Welcome Orientation Workshop (WOW) closer to the start of the fall semester. This program occurs the first week of fall semester and allows students to learn about the resources they can receive through MSU RCPD. Students will meet RCPD specialists, interact with other new students, and become equipped with the tools they need to succeed while at MSU. The 2013 Welcome Orientation Workshop will be held on Tuesday August 27, 2013. An agenda and RSVP link will be on the RCPD website soon so stay tuned!
AOP and the WOW workshop are both great ways to get to know MSU, and RCPD is here every step of the way to ensure students feel comfortable and confident as they start their journey as Spartans.