Programs

Big Red Connections

Connect with Denison alumni and explore key employers in Columbus! Through this program, you will explore the sights and sounds of the city, tour some of the top employers of Denison graduates, and make connections with fellow Denisonians. Alumni will share their favorite Denison experiences, how they spent their time on The Hill, including leadership roles and internships, and how they maximized their Denison experience to land their current jobs. Big Red Connections is sponsored by Denison’s Austin E. Knowlton Center for Career Exploration.

DENISON ART ORIENTATION (DAO)

Denison Art Orientation (DAO) explores the vibrant urban arts culture that only a big city can generate. Students will travel to Columbus, Ohio, with faculty, staf, and student leaders. Participants will work with local artists in workshops that include dance, art, music, and theatre. Some time is also spent touring museums, public art, and the city. DAO is not just for arts people — students who are energized by city life, interested in multicultural experiences, or like to think about how art can capture or change our experiences will have a great time.

Denison By Design

Explore Columbus. Meet fellow Denisonians. Learn how to make the best of your Denison experience “by design.” Centered in downtown Columbus, this preorientation allows us to eat, sleep, and experience the possibilities our nearby metropolitan city ofers. We’ll share in a few design workshops that will have you sketching your many possible futures, exploring the entrepreneur inside of you, and designing experiences for others that will serve you well as you start to get involved on campus. Sponsored by Denison’s Red Frame Lab, we’ll prepare you to make the most of your Denison journey… by design.

DENISON CANOEING ORIENTATION (DCO)

Denison Canoeing Orientation (DCO) takes you out into the wilderness of Ohio for an unforgettable adventure. Students will take part in a wilderness, paddling, and camping experience. DCO is also an outdoor learning experience, designed to help students develop safe paddling skills, practice valuable skills in “Leave No Trace” camping, and learn about Ohio’s natural history and geography. The team will paddle canoes down the Mohican River and sleep at primitive campsites along its banks. DCO is a physically demanding trip that entails sustained paddling for most of each day. Previous canoeing experience is preferred.

DENISON OUTDOOR ORIENTATION (DOO)

Take part in a unique and challenging backpack hike through the wilds of the Otter Creek Wilderness Area of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Students will gather in groups of eight, each led by a faculty-student staf team, as they explore a beautiful and inspiring landscape of hills and forests. Spending time together during the three-day hike is a great opportunity to make new friends, learn more about Denison, and have a lot of fun.

DENISON SERVICE ORIENTATION (DSO)

The Denison Service Orientation (DSO) is a directservice experience designed to help incoming students adjust to college, build strong friendships, and realize the possibilities available to them at Denison. Students will participate in a service experience related to homelessness and hunger in the surrounding Licking County area. Experienced student leaders and faculty/ staf leaders will guide participants through leadership training, group building, issues education, and directservice. Whether students have had previous service experience or not, this orientation is a great way to begin the transition to life at Denison.

Leadershape

The LeaderShape Institute challenges students to lead with integrity while working toward a vision grounded in your values. LeaderShape Institute participants will explore not only what you want to do, but who you want to be. Dynamic, challenging, and exciting, the LeaderShape Institute is intended to produce a breakthrough in your leadership capacity — benefting you individually, as well as your respective communities and the organizations in which you lead and serve. We are looking for students from a variety of backgrounds and a variety of leadership experiences. The LeaderShape Institute is open to any student interested in producing extraordinary results in a community while also developing a commitment to lead with integrity. This program is sponsored by Denison’s Alford Community Leadership and Involvement Center (CLIC).

Paving The Way

Sponsored by The Center for Belonging & Inclusion, Paving the Way is in its 27th year. Although its primary focus is to assist traditionally underrepresented student populations in transitioning to the academic, cultural, and social climate at Denison, PTW encourages all entering students to participate in this program. Sessions will address holistic well-being, cultural and social identity development, personal development, and community building. NOTE: Paving the Way is free of charge to all participants.

Dates

Pre-O Welcome Day is Saturday, August 19, 2023. Participants will move into their fall residence hall assignments between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and they will stay in their residence hall for one night before departing on their trip. Pre-Os will depart campus on Sunday, August 20, and return on Wednesday, August 23. The rest of the frst-year class will arrive on Thursday, August 24.

Fees

The fee for Pre-Os is $300. Students in the Questbridge or Denison-Columbus Alliance cohorts, and others determined to have eligible fnancial need by our Ofce of Financial Aid, will have fees waived.

Learn more about Pre-Orientations

PLAYING A FALL SPORT?

Some fall athletic programs begin practice before the opening of the university. Your schedule will not allow you to participate in a Pre O if you are on the cross country, feld hockey, football, soccer, or volleyball teams. Team members will receive details about early move in from their respective coaching staf during the summer, including the date of physical examinations for athletic team members. If you have any questions about participating in a varsity sport, please contact athletics@denison.edu