by The Quaker Campus in Campus Life
Kaitlin Martinez - STAFF WRITER
Hartley House kicked-off the school year with a new theme for mixers hosted there, which is aimed at getting lower classmen in touch with upperclassmen in a major they are considering. This new theme was proposed by Associate Professor of Philosophy and current Master of Hartley House Paul Kjellberg. These first mixers were geared towards Economics, Business and Physics majors, though Kjellberg encouraged those outside the majors to attend as well. For some, attending a mixer was an opportunity to explore other social niches.
“I think it’s cool because it gives me the chance to meet people in this type of environment, instead of just my mentor group,” first-year Anthony Garcia said. “I’m getting to meet people in my major and other groups.” Other students enjoyed the opportunity to eat free food with their friends.
Upperclassmen were especially interested in who would fill their academic shoes once they graduated. “As a senior, I really only know people in the grade below me, and not very many of the freshmen or sophomores,” senior Tiffany Reyes said. “It’s useful, and a nice way to see the people that are up and coming in the major.”
Lower classmen by contrast valued the insight students closer to graduating could give them about the experience inside the classroom, not just course material. “It’s really helpful because they’ve actually gone through the steps already, so you know which classes to take,” sophomore Noelle Leczel said. “But more important than that, they already know the professors; who to take, who not to take, where to watch out for homework, and who to choose as your advisor.”
Kjellberg’s vision for the mixers is to have upperclassmen give lower classmen what they cannot find in course catalogs: their subjective experience in pursuing various majors.
“I realized that thinking about majors is kind of an awkward, anxious experience for people,” Kjellberg said. “So I wanted to give students a relaxed atmosphere to think about it, talk to other students who are taking advanced courses in subjects they are starting out in, and just talk about what it’s like majoring in this field.” Something Kjellberg might not have expected was that students also benefited from him hosting the mixers. “It was nice that we had a professor who was not in our major so we can get a different perspective on our major,” junior Amanda Harrison said. “We discussed math in a different light.”
Many students felt the mixers warrant greater publicity on campus. “I never knew about Hartley House events,” sophomore Hunter Alexander said. “I like this idea of being able to come together to talk to professors and other students about things, especially in your major. But I wasn’t aware of it last year, so I think it’s a cool idea that should be promoted a little bit more. Teachers have mentioned it, but it was never really brought up again, so I never really knew where it was.”
These major-focused mixers were not a part of campus life last year. However, when asked by Kjellberg at the Business Mixer, everyone that attended agreed they should be better promoted on campus. The next one is for English majors this coming Monday, on September 29, 2014 at 6 p.m.
Other majors like psychology, education and music, to name a few, also have mixers planned for the semester. Kjellberg encouraged everyone interested in the given major to attend. Every mixer will be hosted at Hartley House. Other information about upcoming mixers is on the school website under “Hartley House,” then, “Mixers.” For those interested in attending, there is also free food.
