2008 Woodie Awards
Odyssey returns under new leadership
Abby Haun
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Other News
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The program is a required, one-hour course for incoming freshmen that is taken during the first half of the fall semester. It aims to ease the transition from high school to college both academically and emotionally, according to communication professor and faculty adviser to the Odyssey program Livia Bornigia.
"This transition is a universal experience," said the recently appointed Bornigia, who volunteered for her position last semester. "There is an eerie sense of discomfort [for freshmen] at first. We want to help the students along their own odyssey, to parallel with the book 'The Odyssey.'" Bornigia, a UST alumna, works with Director of Quality Enhancement Plan Sheila Waggoner and Director of Academic Advising Sara Laidlaw to handle the program's logistics, from selecting lecture topics and scheduling advising sessions to ordering food for after the class.
Bornigia said that one of Odyssey's most important goals is to convey the University's mission. "We want students to understand the Catholic and liberal arts components so that everyone can feel welcome and understand the connection between faith and reason," she said.
This year, each class begins with a selected group of student volunteers acting out an excerpt from "The Odyssey." Then, Bornigia introduces a speaker. "We try to make sure the lectures tie in with the assigned reading, whether the topic is mentorship, morality, etc.," she said. Students are then given assignments to write out in blue passports, which were handed out along with copies of "The Odyssey" at the first class, during orientation. The passports are stamped after each class to record attendance.
According to Bornigia, open communication between students and their FYE advisers is key. "Meeting faculty outside of the classroom can be very beneficial to students," she said.
Although the program has changed considerably since it first became mandatory in fall 2005, Bornigia said she considered the process an evolution rather than a drastic overhaul. "We've just learned what worked and what didn't by listening to student and FYE adviser feedback," she said.