Wednesday May 31, 2023

Dear Members of the Class of 2027 and Transfer Students,

Welcome to Bates! We are so excited to welcome you into our vibrant community of students, faculty, and staff. We are Steve Engel, Professor of Politics and Associate Dean of the Faculty, Kim Trauceniek, Senior Associate Dean of Students, and Meg Hoppe, Coordinator of Residence Life and First-Year Experience, and we will be communicating with you throughout this summer to provide information and resources to help you prepare for your arrival to campus in late August.

Throughout the summer until your arrival to our campus in Lewiston, Maine in late August, you will receive emails from us. Each email will contain important information meant to assist you in making the most of the Bates First-Year Experience.

At Bates, the First-Year Experience or FYE is a series of programs organized around a set of foundational values that support you in your successful transition to college. You can read more about the FYE here. These programs include:

1. Summer Resources and Communications for the Class of 2027 (in June, July, and August)
2. July “Ask Me Anything” Zoom Webinar (on Tuesday, July 18 from 6 PM to 7:15 PM EDT and August Registration Consultation (from August 2 to August 8 to help you register for your Fall 2023 courses)
3. New Student Orientation (August 31-September 5, 2023)
4. First-Year Seminars (FYS) in Fall 2023
5. Pre-Major Academic Advising (throughout 2023-24 and into 2024-25)
6. First-Year Experience Workshops during Fall 2023 (connected to your FYS)
7. First-Year Centers (your residence life and housing community for 2023-24)
8. First-Year First-Weekend (events on campus on September 8-9, 2023)

These 8 programs are animated by a shared set of values that define the First-Year Experience at Bates. They include:

1. Fostering Equity, Inclusion, Access, Anti-Racism, and Educational Justice
2. Building a Welcoming Community
3. Encouraging Academic Inquiry and Exploration
4. Finding Purpose and Identity
5. Promoting Health and Well-being
6. Creating a Sense of Place

In future email communications, we will go into more detail as to what each of these values means and what opportunities you will have to engage with them at Bates. For now, we just wanted to introduce ourselves and provide you with this brief overview of First-Year Experience at Bates!

Next week, we will send you another email that lays out the schedule of our summer communications. So, please be sure to check your email regularly!

Finally, the Garnet Gateway opened to you on May 17, 2023. Please check your Bates admission portal to receive your login information if you haven’t done so already. You must complete all of these forms by their due dates. These forms include your housing application, your Bates email, health forms, AESOP application, emergency contact information, class registration, and more. So it is very important that you log in sooner rather than later!

We are excited to be working with you throughout the summer and throughout your first year.

Sending along a warm welcome,

Steve Engel, Professor of Politics and Associate Dean of the Faculty 

Kim Trauceniek, Senior Associate Dean of Students

Meg Hoppe, Coordinator of Residence Life and First-Year Experience