A Day on College Hill, Brown's annual two-day program for students admitted to the incoming first-year class and their parents, kicks off today with a stricter drug and alcohol policy to deter prospective first-years from abusing alcohol.
ADOCH, which is co-sponsored by the Admission Office and the Bruin Club, seeks to give prospective students a sense of the undergraduate experience at Brown - whether academic, athletic, extracurricular or otherwise.
At least 947 students and 756 parents will be attending this year, said Amanda Calderon, assistant director of admission. That is many more parents than last year, she said, and more students because this year the University paid for the transportation of a number of students constrained by financial need.
Today's "student and parent welcomes" in Salomon Center and Sayles Hall are two of the most highly attended events of the 25-hour program, Calderon said. Students will hear welcoming remarks by President Ruth Simmons, Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute and former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee '75 and Dean of Admission Jim Miller '73. Parents will hear Miller and Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron at a separate welcome scheduled for them.
Tonight's talent show in Salomon, in which student groups perform for the prospective first-years, is also often highly attended, Calderon said.
The talent show will be followed by a dessert social in Leung Gallery, a new event that will replace the "Food with the Fellows" event of previous years, said Adam Kroll '09, student co-coordinator for ADOCH. The social will be a look into student life, including a "meet-and-greet" with representatives from the Office of Residential Life and Residential Council, Meiklejohn advisers and representatives from the Swearer Center for Public Service, Kroll said, adding that the ADOCH coordinators hope to "expose (prospective students) to the non-academic services that Brown provides."
Another new event this year is a concert in Sayles Hall sponsored by Greek Council and ResLife, Kroll said. The concert will take place during tonight's "Late Night" activities and will hopefully draw students away from trying to find parties elsewhere, he said.
ADOCH coordinators are enforcing alcohol and drug policies strictly this year, requiring overnight student hosts to sign a form stating that they will not provide prospective students with alcohol or drugs, Calderon said. Prospective students and parents must also sign a form in order to attend the program, Kroll said.
Other events during Late Night will include arch sings, a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee game and unit "get-togethers" to deter prospective students from trying to find places to drink, she said.
On Wednesday, students can attend classes, go on campus tours from the Main Green and attend the activities fair and lunch, which will help them learn more about some of Brown's extra-curricular activities, according to the ADOCH schedule. And for those interested in athletics at Brown, there is an information session at 2 p.m. in Petteruti Lounge in Faunce House.
There will also be a tent set up with refreshments today and tomorrow on the Main Green where students can go between attending classes and other events, Kroll said. This way, even if the weather does not cooperate, students will have somewhere to go where they can interact with their future classmates, he said.
