July 21, 2008

Students Find Common Ground

Orientation sends students on a scavenger hunt to learn about the city and themselves

Text by Davide Nardi (CAS'11). Video by Robin Berghaus.

Click on the video above to watch participants in the Common Ground program explore Boston.

On the Wednesday of each freshman orientation week this summer, the incoming students participating in the Common Ground program get to know their new city — and make lots of new friends.

The program sends students, armed with GPS devices, on a scavenger hunt through Boston to find various historical and social landmarks, such as the Boston Public Library, the Old North Church, the Boston Common, the New England Aquarium, and Quincy Market.

The University offers the three-day mandatory orientation program in seven sessions during June and July. An orientation program is available at the same time for parents who are interested.

On one such Wednesday expedition, students led by orientation leader Holly Nicely (CAS’11) explored the streets of Boston on their way to their first stop, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway. They continued on to the Museum of Fine Arts and finally the Christian Science Center, both on Huntington Avenue. Between each destination, Nicely had the students sit in circles and share a fact about themselves or play games, such as rock, paper, scissors, to break the ice.

Common Ground, an exercise based on the belief of Howard Thurman (Hon.’67), former dean of Marsh Chapel, that we have more in common with each other than we have differences, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. each Wednesday of orientation. For more information, check out the University Orientation Web site.

Davide Nardi can be reached at dnardi@bu.edu. Robin Berghaus can be reached at berghaus@bu.edu.