PTV - Prologues, Transitions and Viewpoints
Freshman Orientation Phase II:
Prologues, Transitions & Viewpoints (PTV)
PTV is a week-long fall orientation session in which you'll get to know your classmates as well as other members of the UDM community.
PTV 2008 will be held Saturday, Aug. 23 through Friday, Aug. 29. Resident students should plan to move into the residence halls on Saturday, Aug. 23. Commuter students also need to sign in for PTV on Saturday, Aug. 23, anytime between 4 and 5 p.m. Due to the large number of resident students, we are unable to provide overnight housing for commuter students during PTV.
The UDM experience is unlike any other in your life. The academic challenges and co-curricular activities that await you will serve you well beyond college into your chosen career and your adult life. For starters, your classmates are diverse, reflecting the global community of the world today.
They come from all over the country as well as foreign countries, bringing with them varied cultures, traditions and life experiences. This diversity— and the common denominator of embarking together on your collegiate life— will provide you with a solid foundation for friendship and mutual respect. PTV will give you a jump start on making your UDM education both successful and personally rewarding.
Prologues
Prologues is a unique two-day, on-campus program focusing on academics and emphasizing interaction, integration, and connection with faculty. New students are first introduced to UDM professors from various disciplines who will discuss academic success in college.
Next, students will attend special sessions to hear from faculty in their specific major. These two days spent alongside members of the University’s faculty will help prepare you for the rigors of academic work in the classroom.
Viewpoints
Detroit is a city blessed with many remarkable resources that contribute to the education of UDM students. The city’s museums, theaters and architecture are ranked among the nation’s finest. Even more so, the people who live and work in Detroit make it a diverse and exciting city.
Like other urban areas, Detroit also faces many challenges. Viewpoints is a day-long introduction to the city’s remarkable social and cultural environments that helps students understand the needs of the city and its residents and develop the leadership skills necessary to address those needs.
Students will spend a few hours at one of several Detroit social service agencies— such as Focus: HOPE, Crossroads, the Catholic Worker, or Habitat for Humanity— engaged in service learning. Students learn about the city and its residents while providing genuine service to others.
Students then take a guided walking tour of Detroit’s downtown area and its landmarks. You will learn how the city has begun a residential and commercial revitalization process that will take Detroit into the future.
A highlight of the tour is a visit to Pizza Papalis in Greektown where students will enjoy the restaurant’s renowned deep-dish pizza. Upper-class students, Jesuits and Sisters of Mercy, faculty and staff will join first-year students for part of the tour.
Transitions
There is something special about the kind of friendships that are created through common bonds— shared experiences. At UDM, new students participate in one of four exciting off-campus wilderness adventures for the Transitions component of PTV. All four Transitions options are three day/two night trips. Students are accompanied by a faculty member and an upper-class student. Those students not in canoeing, backpacking or spirit adventures will participate in the camping option.
Transitions I—Camping Option
Transitions Camping option takes place at Camp Lael near Lapeer. This large lakeside camp is the picture-perfect backdrop for summer favorites like softball, volleyball, swimming, campfires, and wilderness hikes.
Past participants report that one of the highlights is the day spent tackling a series of exciting challenges including a High and Low Ropes course. Thrilling? Yes. Scary? Maybe. Safe? Always!
Transitions II—Spirit Adventures Option
New in 2008, this is a great option for students who want to connect with others at a deeper level. Held at a beautiful retreat center near Camp Lael (see Option I), it includes guided discussions about life, relationships, faith, God, serving others, and spiritual growth.
Plus, there will be lots of fun activities, including swimming and the High and Low Ropes with the others at Camp Lael. This option is student-led, sponsored by University Ministry, and open to students of any faith background.
Transitions III—Backpacking Option
The Backpacking option has become more popular each year since its introduction in 1995. This year, the Backpacking option will offer these different destinations: South Manitou Island or Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore.
Located off the coast of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore in Lake Michigan, the Manitou Islands offer some of the Midwest’s most spectacular scenery. South Manitou Island is the smaller of the two Manitou islands, with multiple campsites and modern amenities. Even for those who have never backpacked, South Manitou is quite manageable.
Located in the Upper Peninsula, Pictured Rocks offers some of the most spectacular views of Lake Superior from beaches and towering cliffs. The Pictured Rocks Backpacking trip is a pointto- point trip of 18 miles carrying backpacks. This is the most physically demanding of the backpack options.
To participate in the Backpacking options, students should be in good physical shape and capable of carrying a 35- to 40-pound backpack. While students may use their own equipment, the University will provide backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, and most of the equipment needed for the trip. Students will need to provide their own hiking boots.
Sixty spaces are available for the Backpacking options, as these are designed to be small trips. Students are encouraged to register early.
Transitions IV—Canoeing Option
2008 will be the twelfth year of the canoe trip. Students will paddle down one of Michigan’s three most famous rivers: the Rifle River, the Au Sable River or the Manistee River. Students will sleep overnight in tents at two different campgrounds along the way.
This option does not require prior extensive canoeing experience. However, the trips will cover about 90 miles, and students will have to share in paddling their two-person canoes. As with the Backpacking option, space is limited, and students may provide their own equipment, but the University will provide canoes, life preservers, sleeping bags, tents, waterproof bags and most of the other equipment needed.
Note: A non-refundable freshman orientation fee will be assessed to all student accounts. This fee includes participation in SOAR, PTV, and Parent Orientation.
If you have any questions
about admissions, financial aid, the tuition payment plan, on-campus housing, SOAR, PTV, academic advising, registering for classes, health services – or anything else –
call your UDM admissions counselor at 800-635-5020.