Look Out— the FYRE is Spreading

Bemidji State University’s Residential Program for freshmen is Gaining Speed

By Jake Hertwig and Jillian Cordova

College can be a very rewarding experience.  For some, it is the best years of their lives.  However, studies conducted by the College Parents of America, an organization designed to help parents and students transition into college, have shown that the chances of a student continuing his/her college career depend greatly on what their first year experience is like. 



Oak residents eating pizza before the homecoming game. The FYRE

program treated students to this and other free events throughout the year.



It can be very difficult for students to break out of their shell, make new friends, and partake in new experiences, as many older BSU students would say. Bemidji State University is well aware of this, which is why a special program was implemented in one BSU dorm back in 1995. Oak Hall is the current host to the First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) Program.  This program is geared towards freshman students who wish to have a much more hands-on experience in the social and academic aspects of college.

           

The FYRE Program has grown throughout the years.  Up until fall of 2008, the program was hosted in Maple Hall, housing about 300 residents.  The sight of this program is now Maple’s neighbor, Oak Hall, which now holds more than 500 residents.  The building consists of 10 floors: two all-male, two all-female, three co-ed, one co-ed nursing, and one co-ed outdoors floor. 418 freshmen participate in the FYRE program; the remaining residents are freshman or older students who want a quieter living experience. If incoming students wish to experience this program first hand, all they must do is sign up for it when applying for residency.

           

In a traditional dorm floor, residents would have one Residential Assistant (RA) who lives with them on the floor.  Because the FYRE Program is highly geared towards the social aspect of college, every FYRE floor has two RAs. These RAs aim to provide an overall healthy living community for residents, which includes following university rules as well as setting up programs in which the residents can partake in to better become connected to their floor and beyond. 

The second aspect of FYRE that differentiates it from other campus programs is its focus on extra academic success for residents. This is done with the addition of two Peer Academic Assistants (PAAs) who live on each floor and serve as a tutor and an overall academic resource for the residents.  The PAAs set up times to meet with the students throughout the semester to talk to them about any academic concerns, from how classes are going to how they study for tests. Freshmen do not realize how much more difficult college is than high school; having these PAAs available helps keep them academically motivated.

As Tony Hansen, Residential Life staff member put it, “There are many misconceptions that imply that college is just one big party. Some students literally enter college and do not realize that you have to keep your grades up in order to stay here.” 

             “It was extraordinarily helpful having the PAAs incorporated into my living quarters,” said Matt Volkman, a freshman who participated in the FYRE program. “It gave me the opportunity for academic assistance that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.”

The overall goal of the FYRE Program is to make sure that students get off to a good start in their college career. This is difficult at times considering the temptations that students are faced with on a daily basis. FYRE focuses greatly on planning and executing activities that are both fun and safe so that residents have an easier time meeting people and socializing in an environment that makes everyone feel comfortable.

 For example, students have the opportunity to attend a Twins game in the spring. Freshman and staff members ride a bus down to Minneapolis and get to experience a game for a mere $5. Other activities include FYRE barbeques, Family Visit Weekend, free bowling nights, and the end of year FYRE Banquet which are all funded in part by an expanded budget the program receives due to its significance. 

According to freshman Kayla Brown, “FYRE brings students together during their first year on campus, which can be an overwhelming for some. The activities they plan, such as free hockey tickets or the $5 Twins game tickets are great opportunities that are fun and help you meet new people.”

A group of FYRE students pose in front of the fireplace at the
annual Oak Christmas party. The program hosts this event in order
for students to relax just before getting ready for finals.

            Despite all the positive feedback the FYRE program has received, there are still some students who have mixed feeling about it.

“It’s been sort of helpful,” said Alyson Lehman, who partook in the program this year. “The FYRE program itself hasn’t helped me too much, but it has allowed me to help myself better. I still would have made friends this year, just not as easily.”

Gina Hurt, another resident at Oak Hall said, “I signed up for Oak Hall not really knowing about FYRE. The activities were fun sometimes, but it could have focused more on what the students wanted to do. Overall, it did help me meet people I might not have if I wasn’t in the program.”

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