When Jennifer Meitl walked into her first biology class at Kansas University, her jaw dropped.
There were 1,000 people in the class - more than four times the population of her hometown of Rush Center.
"It was more people that I'd seen together probably in my entire life, at least people my own age," Meitl said. "I wanted to run home and tell my mom I made the wrong decision and that I was leaving KU."
Now three years later, Meitl is a senior and has adjusted to big-campus life. She wants to help other Jayhawks from small towns do the same.
Meitl is a member of Kansas Connections, a new KU group aimed at helping students from small Kansas towns to meet friends and get acclimated to life at the university.
Amy Bainum, Dover senior, foreground, stuffs folders for next week's new student orientation at Kansas University, with the help of Jennifer Meitl, Rush Center senior. In addition to working with new student orientation, the two girls are part of a new group called Kansas Connections, which is for students from small towns. Kansas Connections gives students the chance to get acclimated to the large University while being able to identify with a small campus group.
"I think for many of them, the size of KU is very intimidating," said Wendy Rohleder-Sook, an adviser to the group who works in the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center. "They have concerns they'll be just a number, that it'll be hard to meet people or that nobody's going to care for you. Those things really intimidate you."
Rohleder-Sook, who is from Plainville, and Erin Michaelis, the assistant director for fraternity and sorority life who is from Hays, got the idea for Kansas Connections last school year after comparing notes about their time at KU.
They thought students coming from small communities could use a way to meet friends, since they're often the only student from their high school coming to KU. Also, they often feel like they haven't had as many opportunities, such as advanced-placement classes, as students from big schools, and the small-town students might not have as much experience navigating a large bureaucracy like KU.
"You feel alone, like you're the only one going through that," Rohleder-Sook said. "There are a lot of people going through the same things, but nobody ever really talks about being from a small town."
The group started meeting in February. The official kickoff for this semester will be at 1 p.m. Monday in the Relay Room of the Burge Union.
In addition to social gatherings, older Kansas Connections members plan to serve as mentors to underclassmen.
"I really hope we're going to be able to help incoming freshmen to have an easier transition," said Nathan Ladd, the group's president and a junior from Effingham, population 588. "We want to let them know there are opportunities for incoming freshmen to get involved and to know other small-town students. KU can feel like a pretty big place, but there are lots of great people who come from similar backgrounds and want to help you out."
Meitl said she wished that support network had been in place when she entered KU three years ago. But this semester, she's taking comfort that her younger sister, who's a freshman, can turn to Kansas Connections for help.
"Everyone on my floor from the residence hall (as a freshman) knew someone from high school, and they had somebody to go out with and eat dinner with," she said. "We still have personal connections, you just have to make them yourself. As much as KU tries, students still fall through the cracks. That's why we want to help them."
KU Hawk Week highlights
A highlight of events surrounding the first week of classes at Kansas University. For a complete list, visit www.hawkweek.ku.edu.
Sunday
8 a.m.: Most residence halls and scholarships open for move-in day.
9 p.m.-midnight: Union Fest, featuring games, giveaways and free food, Kansas Union.
Monday
6 p.m.-8 p.m.: Ice Cream Social, Adams Alumni Center.
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Traditions Night, where new students learn about all things KU, Memorial Stadium.
10 p.m.-1 a.m.: Rock-A-Hawk, with music, games and prizes, KU Visitor Center Parking Lot.
Tuesday
7 p.m.-9 p.m.: Info Fair, with information on student groups, Strong Hall lawn.
7 p.m.-10 p.m.: Beach 'N' Boulevard, with sand volleyball, live music and games, Wescoe Beach.
10 p.m.-12:30 a.m.: Hawk Link Block Party, with music, dancing and other entertainment, Wescoe Beach.
Wednesday
1 p.m.-4 p.m.: Take Over the Beach, with information on student organizations, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Multicultural Resource Center, Kansas Union Ballroom.
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Student Convocation, Lied Center.
Thursday
First day of classes
4 p.m.-6 p.m.: Burge Bash, with tours of the Burge Union, a mechanical bull and music.
5 p.m.-8 p.m.: Downtown Hawks, with discounts offered for students at many downtown businesses.
Friday
6 p.m.-7 p.m.: Lied Center Art Festival, with food, activities for children and information on local arts organizations, Lied Center lawn.
7 p.m.-8 p.m.: Lied Center Concert, featuring the Sisters Morales, Lied Center lawn.
10 p.m.-midnight: Movie on the Hill, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Campanile Hill.
Aug. 20
10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Community service project at several sites around Lawrence.
2 p.m.-6 p.m.: Healthy Choices: Choose KU Recreation Services, with information and tours of the Student Recreation Fitness Center.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
Lynn731 (anonymous) says…
This is an excellent idea !!!! Let's see more people taking part and making sure the support group stays when the founders leave KU. Keep up the good work ladies. So nice of you to think about others who would encounter the same problems you did. That says a lot about your character and upbringing.
jayhawk2000 (anonymous) says…
I came from a graduating class of less than 60 to living on the 10th floor of a dorm that had at least that many people, so yes, it's an eye-opening and potentially alienating experience for many new students.
I'm sure most rural Kansas graduates enroll at K-State. Anyone who's been in 4-H as a kid is familiar with it. However, I'd also been to KU before on school trips and competitions. It was the beauty of the campus and the reputation of the journalism school which convinced me to go there.
I took advantage of pre-enrolling at an orientation session in the summer and the Hawk Week activities. I think KU does a good job easing students in, but I like the idea of other students from similar backgrounds helping out. Good luck, guys!