In which Bwog staff member Katie Reedy cogitates about alternative ice breakers to the traditional “two truths and a lie,” and “the name game” for Orientation Leaders and RAs, who will be faced with a group of (most likely wet), frightened, and homesick first-years tomorrow afternoon. – Get postmodern: Bring a chisel, a block of […]

International and West Coast first-years have arrived! They are soggy, worn-out, and a bit irritable, but not nearly as irritable as they could be. The rain has slowed to an intermittent drizzle, Housing and Dining has soundtracked the event with weather appropriate songs like “Singing in the Rain,” the lines for the elevators at John […]

Columbia’s enthusiasm quotient rose measurably yesterday as 224 orientation leaders arrived on campus to commence preparations for welcoming their charges on Sunday and Monday. As part of their training, the OLs did a run through of BlaZe, a mixer on speed that will replace NSOP’s traditional and widely-reviled “diversity event” CUnity. (Yes, we BlaZed in […]

CO HOPpers, BOPpers, and ROPpers left this morning on their respective journeys, casting nervous glances skyward at the gathering rain clouds (sorry guys), not to return until the night before the rest of 2010 moves in. Other than torrential rains, may neither bears, bugs, nor homicidal escaped convicts ruin your excellent adventures!

Living on campus for the entire summer to organize a week of events (a big job, Bwog knows) leads to time spent on some odd activities. Like composing the bulk of an e-mail to OLs in rhyming couplets. Read the full update-in-verse after the jump. Also, bet you didn’t know this before you signed up: […]

Bwog was so excited upon getting a look at this year’s NSOP logo that it couldn’t help but share it with the viewing public. We’ll spare you the bubbly e-mail it came with.

What happens when 223 of the most enthusiastic people on campus get together in one place? Bwog found out at this afternoon’s Orientation Leader orientation, half as long as last year’s and still jam-packed with cheesy icebreakers, awkward raps, and interpretive dance. To Bwog’s surprise and bemusement, nearly everyone lustily joined in a recital of […]