Throughout Wildcat Welcome, I found myself in awe of the constant activities Northwestern used to welcome new students. I was initially skeptical as to whether a full eight days was really necessary –– but by the end, I was impressed by how meticulously NU ensured that new students were familiar with and engulfed into campus. NU was sure to introduce students to the new and scary experience of college with an in-depth orientation experience.

However, I couldn’t help but feel that an entirely different aspect of the “home” piece was missing from the Wildcat Welcome experience. The program neglected to introduce students to Evanston and Chicago and entirely avoided educating students on the history of their new hometowns. Given that the University created a program with eight days of introduction to campus, a considerable portion of that time could easily be dedicated to introducing students to what surrounds NU.

Welcoming students into the school community without introducing them to the region that they live in is limiting and perpetuates the divide between the university and the surrounding town. NU offers a number of clubs and opportunities to explore Chicago, such as the Engage Chicago summer program, and give back to the community, such as Supplies for Dreams. Yet the university forces students to find these opportunities by ourselves. Introducing students to the area that hosts our school and familiarizing us with the social issues of each region is vital to the NU experience.

We should not merely have superficial interactions with Chicago nor should we limit our knowledge of the city’s issues to a surface level. A required True Northwestern Dialogue in Chicago after Wildcat Welcome ended did try to increase off-campus orientation programming, however this exposure was minimal. Some groups went to the Art Institute or Millennium Park, but a few hours is not enough to qualify as real engagement with a city rich with history and just miles south of NU.

A vast number of the most exciting opportunities presented by attending this school happen beyond campus boundaries. Whether it be community service, entertainment or interviewing residents for a class, a significant portion of the student experience revolves around off-campus events. If the school were to better incorporate Evanston and Chicago into Wildcat Welcome, it would encourage student involvement and spark excitement for community-based projects to support these culturally-rich and diverse areas.

Although NU offers the Freshman Urban Program, which allows incoming new students to explore Chicago and Evanston and teaches them about the cities, many new students are hesitant to sign up for a pre-orientation program or prefer pursuing a separate program that piques their interest. It’s hard for the University to expect an incoming student with little knowledge of the school to pursue one of these programs. Furthermore, students should not have to choose between the only opportunity to learn about our home city and the other pre-orientation programs. For many students, a pre-orientation program is inaccessible due to time, travel or financial cost. Knowledge regarding Evanston and Chicago is important to every student at NU — not just those who are able to pursue it through FUP.

FUP-like programming integrated into the schedule of Wildcat Welcome could help students better engage with our surroundings, giving us the language and tools to engage with Chicago and Evanston productively.

Lukas Stachtiaris is a Medill freshman. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.