Author: Soo Jin Kim
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Alumni Relations and the Office of Student Life (OSL) co-hosted a transfer student mixer. The event started at 7 p.m. and ended around 9 p.m. Various kinds of desserts and drinks were available as transfer students mingled and enjoyed music.
“It’s an informal mixer, as transfer students don’t get to meet other people within their majors or classes,” Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Alissa Graunke said. “It’s a way to help them make some new friends. And it’s a great way to kick off the new year.”
“One of the reasons for having the event was to help transfer students to be more visible on campus, and have more programs made especially for transfer students,” Assistant Director of New Student Programs Karina Viaud also said Viaud also made note of a relatively new program tailored towards transfer students, the Transfer Initiative Programs for Transfers at Oxy (TIPTO).
TIPTO was founded last year as a resource to connect current transfer students with new transfer students. “It basically seeks to create a welcoming community,” President of TIPTO Emma Catherwood (junior) said. “People have realized that transfer students have a different educational experience compared to students that come to Oxy their freshman year.”
“The transfer community is pretty diverse,” Sarah Hooker (junior) said. “Most people who are transfers have something else in their life besides school which creates a really dynamic circle.”
Hooker, who transferred from Whitman College in Washington, chose Oxy mainly for its pole vault program, its location and its reputation as a liberal arts college.
“The transfer students here feel set apart from students who have been here from [their] first year, so having a transfer community is really helpful,” she said.
“I’m excited [about the gathering] because there are a lot of people here, and honestly this is the perfect kind of event – listening to music and just chilling,” Catherwood said.
“[The mixer is] a lot of fun,” Kaitlyn Rosenberg (junior) said, a transfer from University of the Pacific and Pierce College.
“It helped make the transition easier,” Catherwood said. I already know a lot of transfers, but I’ve met a few new ones [here] and that’s all that matters, right?”
Other students expressed a sense of detatchment from the transfer community.
“I feel like the transfer program isn’t always conducive to mixing between transfers and non-transfers,” said Jennifer Lara (sophomore).
More information about transfer student services can be found by contacting Alissa Graunke at agraunke@oxy.edu.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
