Honors Retreat 2013

Students are required to attend and participate in the Honors Retreat.  The Honors Retreat is an annual event for the Honors Program during which the Honors faculty and staff take students to a location off-campus for two-to-three days of fun, games, lectures, and discussions. These retreats are a formative experience for incoming Honors students and are critical to the continuing development of the Honors community.  Upperclass students are invited to attend, but newly admitted students are required to attend.

August 18th

Honors Students will arrive on August 18th.  Students can move into the dorms beginning at 9:00 AM on that day. At 5:00 PM in the afternoon, the Honors Program will host a mini family orientation.  This orientation will include a discussion of the Honors curriculum at Gallaudet University, a presentation by the Mental Health Center on transitioning to college, a tour of the campus, and a general question and answer session.  Students will also engage in a discussion preparing them for the Honors Retreat, as well as establishing ground rules for the use of the Honors Lounge.

Families attending only this orientation do not need to pay the family orientation fee.  The Honors Program hosts its family orientation free of charge.

August 19th

Honors students will complete business registration, finish any paperwork that they need to finish prior to leaving for the Honors Retreat.  In order for students to leave for the retreat, they must successfully complete business registration.  Students will also complete testing for their first year Honors courses and will participate in their first Honors class.

August 20th - 21st

Honors students will depart for the Honors Retreat the morning of the 20th and return the evening of the 21st.  The Retreat includes Honors Faculty, incoming students, and a number of upper-class students.  The Retreat this year will be held at Camp St. Charles.  The Honors Retreat consists of a variety of activities ranging from academic lectures, to team building activities, to program-awareness activities, to canoeing.  During this time, students will develop a sense of community that will carry their class through the first year.  The Honors Retreat is a vital beginning to any Honors education and required for all incoming Honors students.

Overlapping Orientations or Athletic Conflicts

Honors students who are International Students or registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities will be asked to participate in multiple orientations.  If you are a student accepted to either the Honors Program or Bridge to Honors, and have several orientations to attend, or are a part of one of Gallaudet University's NCAA athletic teams, please contact geoffrey.whitebread@gallaudet.edu at the earliest possible time to make necessary arrangements

The Honors Retreat is required for newly admitted students

*Completion of the Honors summer reading and participation in the online discussion of that reading, and participation in the Honors Retreat (for exceptions or alternative means of participation, the student should notify the Honors Director as soon as possible) is a required to retain an Honors or Bridge placement. Students who fail to meet expectations of the discussion board or the Honors Retreat will be removed from consideration for Honors. After meeting established criteria and performing well academically the first semester (as determined by first semester Honors faculty and the Honors Director), new students may move from provisional to full status as Honors students.