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PTV - Prologues, Transitions and Viewpoints
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 2006 will be held Saturday, August 26 through Friday, September 1. Resident students should plan to move into the residence halls on Saturday, August 26. Commuter students also need to sign in for PTV on Saturday, August 26, anytime between 2 and 4 p.m. Due to a large number of resident students, we are unable to provide overnight housing for commuter students during PTV.
The university 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 more diverse, reflecting the global community of the world today. They come from all over the country as well as foreign countries—bringing with them diverse 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 is a Common Intellectual Experience with UDM Faculty and Students
Prologues is a unique two-day, on-campus program focusing on academics and emphasizing interaction, integration, and connection with faculty. Consisting of two separate pieces, new students are introduced to professors from around the University of Detroit Mercy discussing academic success in college, and attending special sessions with faculty from your major. These two days will help prepare you for the rigors of academic work in the classroom, alongside members of the University's faculty.
UDM's Unique Viewpoints is a Day-Long Introduction to a Remarkable City
Detroit is a city blessed with 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. During Prologues, Transitions & Viewpoints, students spend a day exploring the social and cultural environments of the city. Viewpoints is designed as a cultural and educational learning experience that will help 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.
Next, students take a guided walking tour of Detroit's downtown area and its landmarks. Students learn how the city has begun a residential and commercial revitalization process that will take Detroit into the future. The final stop on the tour is 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
Transitions is an Exciting Off-Campus Wilderness Adventure
There is something special about the kind of friendships that are created through common bonds—shared experiences. New students participate in one of the following outdoor options for the Transitions component of PTV. Those students not canoeing or backpacking will participate in the camping option.
- Camping Option - Transitions I
The Camping option of Transitions is a three-day/two-night program for incoming freshmen 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! Backpacking Option - Transitions II
We're sorry! Backpacking is already full.
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 for three days/two-nights or Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore for three days/two nights. 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.
A faculty member and an upper-class student will guide each trip. 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, the Pictured Rocks Backpacking trip will be a point-to-point trip of 18 miles carrying backpacks. Pictured Rocks offers some of the most spectacular views of Lake Superior from beaches and towering cliffs. 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 does provide backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, and most of the equipment needed for the trip. Students will need to provide their own hiking boots. Seventy spaces are available for the Backpacking options, as these are designed to be small trips. Students are encouraged to register early. We're sorry! Backpacking is already full.- Canoeing Option - Transitions III
2006 will be the tenth year of the canoe trip. Students will spend two and a half days paddling down one of Michigan's three most famous rivers: the Rifle River, the AuSable River and the Manistee River. A faculty or staff member and an upperclass student will guide each trip. Students will sleep overnight in tents, in 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 options, 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 for these trips. These are designed to be small trips so space is limited. Students are encouraged to register early.