The Red and Black

Orientation is horrible and all the OL's should be ashamed to be part of this hazing-cult ritual.

Sarcasm is hard to detect over the internet, but in the off chance you're being serious: zaid, get over yourself. My apologies if your orientation experience was a bad one, but there are no such "hazing" or "cult" rituals going on. Far be it from an OL to "force" you into socializing with your future peers, or trying to drum up some enthusiasm about the college and town you're going to spend the next four years at.

Wake up: everyone hates orientation. I don't know what kind of SGA-enforcer or whatever you like, but everyone hates the process and thinks it's useless at best stupid at worst.

Now let's pump our fists in the air and yell incoherent things and look stupid!

Yeaaaargh!

Zaid...what a douchebag.

With a name like "Zaid," it's probably safe to say he'd rather have the Orientation Leaders chant "Allahu Akbar" or "Death to the Infidels." If you so detest the cherished, long-standing traditions of the school you attend, perhaps it is time to go back to the desert. Get off your high-camel, Zaid, and stop making such sweeping generalizations....

Don't be so full of yourself, Zaid. No, not everyone thinks orientation is stupid, and, no, not everyone thinks like you. Maybe you can speak for a handful of your pessimistic friends (how I wish I was included in THAT social group ...), but there are almost 5,000 freshmen who go through orientation over the course of a summer. Truth be told, most of them enjoy the experience. So, "wake up" and realize that not everyone subscribes to your bleak outlook on life.

I might pump my fist and yell "Go Dawgs!" but you are certainly the one that is looking, well, stupid.

I've never met anyone who liked orientation, but I think the redneck who said I think the OL's should chant death to the infidels is right; at least that'd be kind of odd and funny.

Orientation was awesome, I met some of my friends I still hang out with today at freshman orientation. You must be a douche bag to think the opposite of orientation!!!

I am an incoming freshman who just attended orientation and I had a great time! So any ill will you feel against is probably ur own doing...

Zaid, just go to kennesaw or west georgia or heck, just go ot GT where they have no spirit, but you obviously have no place at the University of Georgia with a rotten attitude like that!

Zaid had an opinion, you all have yours. Zaid didn't like orientatio; you all did. Fine. None of you are setting a mature attitude for the University of Georgia with the way you all are talking
BTW: "The Bobster", Zaid is not only a middle eastern name. it's spanish as well. And even if zaid is middle eastern, it really doesn't factor into this type of conversation.

gay... you got the attention you wanted so shut up. leave the immaturity in high school.
orientation was awesome for anyone who has an ounce of social skills.

Please grow up. your scaring the people that haven't been to orientation.The conflict in opinions is a waste of time. Please respect each other.

you know zaid, some of us are pretty scared with the thought of starting college for the first time and are actually looking forward to orientation, with positive thoughts in mind. i don't personally know how orientations work, since i haven't attended mine yet, but i certainly know that it'd be helpful if you kept your pessimistic ideas to yourself, with all due respect. it's not helping at all with the intimidation process. unless you have something encouraging and positive to share, like any tips or anything that will actually help us during our orientations, please don't share at all. it's scaring me more and more. thanks!!!

all i have to say after reading that is - wow. so this has started before freshman year even starts
despite what zaid may have thought about orientation there is definately more than one person making unnecessary sweeping generalizations

This video/slideshow could have been done much better by a student majoring in Film Production at the largest, highest funded university in the state.

Why is there not a Film Production major offered?

oi? woot orientation is coming up xD

can anybody tell me what actually goes on during Orientation?

can anybody tell me what actually goes on during Orientation ?

can anybody tell me what actually goes on during orientation?

can anybody tell me what goes on during orientation

I may not agree with what you say, but I'll fight to the death to give you the freedom to say it. Paraphrasing, I know, and I don't remember who said it, but its a right frame of mind. I haven't been to orientation yet, but I hope that however I feel about it my opinion will be respected. At least I hope nobody will resolve themselves to name calling or condescension. We're in college, right? Don't agree, but find a better way to say it or just ignore it.

Bobster i really don't like what you said about chanting "Allahu Akbar" or "death to the infidels". As a incoming freshman who IS excited about freshmen orientation, that is the kind of ignorance and attitude that really made me not want to go to UGA. As an AFRICAN AMERICAN AND MUSLIM incoming student, UGA does not have the most tolerant or diverse reputation as a school but I DON'T LIKE TO JUDGE OR STEREOTYPE A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE ACTIONS OF A FEW. So I am going to be going into UGA open minded, NOT full of preconceived notions of people. Maybe thats something you need to do. So next time you say something, PLEASE try to think of what you are saying. You DO have the RIGHT to say anything you want, but please be considerate.

yeah thats a bit of a stretch to say things like " go back to the desert," this is America you cant say things like that... even though im sure no harm was intended...

and zaid i personally need orientation and im really excited about mine coming up because i have no idea whats going on on the campus and i wanna meet the folks living around me... how is it a hazing ritual anyways? to a certain extent i think youre just messing around with peoples minds but this is serious business so please make some useful comments because i personally wanna be as prepared for orientation as possible... and grow up just little a bit, youre not a little kid anymore

Unfortunately, Zaid, my roommate-to-be thoroughly enjoyed her orientation, or the experience she received from it; she felt very excited for the upcoming year and wanted to call me to tell me all about it (unfortunately I was at work and unable to answer the vibrations in my pocket). However, Zaid, though I have yet experienced what a Freshman Orientation truly is like, I believe it depends on the type of person, and the experience received by him or her. I am sorry to read that your experience did not go over so well.

Hi Zaid...I'm Ben. Now you have officially met someone who liked orientation. So you can now go back to living your life and not worrying about how UGA is teaching incoming students about the history of this great institution or the life they will be living on campus in the fall.

Hello there. I'm Frank J and I like orientation. I really like it because most of the people I interacted with during the week were good God-fearing white folk and we shared a lot of the same values.

I met some good colored folk as well.

However, I didn't meet any Muslims and I'm glad I didn't. Yasmin, I wish that you weren't coming to UGA. It's people like you we don't want. We have a rep for a reason. Stay away terrorist.

~frank_johnson2k5@yahoo.com

Wow
Frank J, do you hear yourself? "God-fearing white people," "Good colored folk" and "stay away terrorist." Wow. Seems to me you believe you are "God-fearing" and I assume a Christian. Last time I checked, Christians were suppose to be LOVING, KIND, OPEN, PEACEFUL, NOT HATEFUL PEOPLE WHO STEREOTYPE OTHERS AND HAVE OBVIOUS PREJUDICES!!! Your lack of maturity and obvious hate is NOT going to stop me from attending UGA. This is 2007 not the 60's but I guess Americans are still facing a lot of the same issues. I am NOT going to stereotype you as a "redneck" or racist, or other labels because my faith teaches me that only GOD can judge and for me to be LOVING and PEACEFUL person, something you obviously are not aware of. So you WILL see me around campus gaining a great education and on my way to becoming a SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSLIM WHO MAKE WILL MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD. These past couple days I have had to respond to FOUR racist comments, FOUR more than I ever have to. But please believe this WILL NOT STOP ME but only make me stronger. So hopefully you will open the Bible and read, learn and maybe stop being so hateful.
Yasmin

"SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSLIM"

Yasmin, there is no such thing.

A successful African American is hard to find, much less one that is a Muslim.

It's like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, etc. We all want to believe they are real, but they are just fakes and lies.

Eventually you will have to own up to the lie, accept it, move on, and get a job working at a Stop-n-Shop.

WOW this is crazy i havent even been to orientation and i am already feeling the love. I may not know any of you personally and i don't really care but I know that being a minority in any situation is very difficult however i also know that one can't make an assumption based off of stereotypes and generalizations because every race has people that make them look bad like The Klu Klux Klan, or the Taliban, or Bloods and Crypys, but what i also know is that each race has produced many great people such as Ghandi or Martin Luther King or John F Kennedy. One thing that i have been challenged in is to not only see people as if you are walking in there shoes but to show respect no matter how different people are. And surprsingly you will find that we are all the same just different on the outside. Sometimes i wish we were all blind and then what a world it would be becasue you would only be able to make judgements on what you hear which comes from the inside than what you see. My name is Andre Rose i am an African American and i plan to make something of myself and not let anyone tear me down so remember me cause i going to be a world changer and who knows maybe you can be one too GOD BLESS

Frank J, this is my last response to you. I don't have the time or the patience to deal with ignorance. If Ghandi, MLK,...ect and others were able to become successful despite people who hated and did not believe in their abilities or agree with their postive thoughts, then I KNOW I can get over one hateful person.
I will pray for you.

Andre, THANK YOU
I wish everyone could be open minded like you. Hopefully I will be able to meet you at UGA.

To everyone else who is reading this. Orientation IS fun, UGA is a GREAT SCHOOL, and do not EVER let someone else stop you from believing in your dreams and becoming the person you want to become.

Yasmin

I am ashamed to read a school newspaper that prints a letter to the editor that displays a misunderstanding of sarcasm instead of one showing disgust at sincere rascism. I am ashamed to go to the same school as Frank J.

Decaturboi- Uh, because this IS the US you can say things like go back to the desert. We call it free speech.

Do you incoming freshman posting here know what "tongue-in-cheek" means? How about "Devil's Advocate"? Or even "Troll"? You have to get a thicker skin if you are going to make it past your freshman year.

hahahaha, this message board has trolling at its best.

i had a great time at orientation. and everyone i was there with and talked to had a good time too. yeah, it was tiring and long but it was fun. so anyone who didn't like it you probably just didn't make the best of it.

Well I had the best time at orientation and feel like 'now im really going to college' and now starting to feel pumped up- you know?

Btw zaid, frank j, if thats how you really feel like that, look forward to 4 (or more) years of 1) people who actually have school spirit, 2)"coloreds", and God help us 3)People with different religious values. (Btw for everyone that was sarcasm). And as a biracial person, I am truly offended and, even more so, as a Chrisitan I can't believe that we are being portrayed as ignorant racists who can't respect a person's differences.

But anyways...I had a great time at orientaiton and I hope thge majority of freshmen had a good time too and are ready for a freakin' good time. DAWGS!!