Princeton University moves Outdoor Action (OA) to Fall Break

As reported in the Daily Princetonian. 

Prior to my freshman year in 1990, my summer job ran through Labor Day and I couldn't quit early to go on OA.  It was an optional program then, and you had the choice of OA or UA (Urban Action).  

I regret not going on OA, but even though I missed the trip, I benefited greatly from its existence. 

Everyone in my Residential Advisor (RA) group who had gone on OA came back with friends beyond our RA group. Those friends quickly became my own.  Networks spread like wildfire before the bell in Nassau Hall rang to start Fall classes (or not, because the class of 1994 stole the clapper).  

Moving to OA to Fall Break means the forming of those relationships will be delayed by half a semester.  That's an enormous amount of time during an undergraduate education.  These early friendships reduce loneliness and anxiety in students who are away from home for the first time.  

OA made Princeton a leader in undergraduate onboarding.  It was widely copied by universities across the country for a reason.  It was rightfully expanded into other small-group experiences that give new students opportunities to create meaningful connections with new peers in a flexible, low-programming environment.  It is an excellent idea to spread out the on-campus orientation activities over the course of the first several weeks of the semester.  OA and its kin should continue to be part of pre-classes orientation.

submitted as a letter to the editor