Episode 25 of Through the Gates aired via SoundCloud and iTunes Sunday, Aug. 21.

This week, Through the Gates host Jim Shanahan talks with Melanie Payne, senior associate director of First Year Experiences and director of New Student Orientation, and Calieel Muhammed, sophomore majoring in human biology
in the College of Arts and Sciences.

As new and returning IU students repopulate Bloomington, Payne and Muhammed, a student orientation leader, talk about what’s new with New Student Orientation and what they and their colleagues do to make new students feel at home at IU Bloomington. This year, IU Bloomington welcomes the Class of 2020, which graduates 200 years after IU was founded.

Among other things, the office runs IUBeginnings, a themed, two- or three-day program for new IU students who sign up to connect with other students through a specific topic—from outdoor adventures to arts and humanities.

“You come in not really knowing that much,” said Muhammed, who most enjoyed “The Business of Being a Student” session when he entered as a freshman in the fall of 2015. “It just lays out all the resources you’ll need right here as a student.”

Through the Gates: IU This Week is a collaboration of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President,The Media School in the College of Arts and Sciences and the IU Newsroom. All episodes are available through SoundCloud and iTunes, or on the Media School website.