CUSTOMS, Middle Tennessee State University’s summer orientation program for new students, gets underway this week with the first of 11 sessions that will run through July 31.

Signs point the way for people attending MTSU CUSTOMS, two-day orientation sessions that will be held for 11 weeks between May 22 and July 31 on campus. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

Major scholarship recipients will visit campus Wednesday and Thursday, May 22-23. Other students who preregister on a first-come, first-served basis will attend CUSTOMS in the following weeks.

Find full details, including dates for all sessions, online at www.mtsu.edu/customs.  To find parking, attendees should use this printable link: http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

CUSTOMS shows freshmen the ropes of being an MTSU student. It helps new undergraduate students make the transition into the university; it prepares them for educational opportunities; and it propels them into the intellectual, cultural and social climate of the university.

Transfer students who have earned 14 or more credit hours do not have to participate in the traditional CUSTOMS program designed for freshmen. They must complete an online orientation before registering to meet with an adviser. Preferred transfer student advising days include three Mondays — June 21, July 12, Aug. 9 — and Friday, Aug. 19.

Many events will move to the Student Union Building, said Gina Poff, director of New Student and Family Programs.

“One of the big changes this year is we are going to be in the Student Union for most of the events, so we have lots of room this year,” she said.

Before things shift to the Student Union on Day 1 of the two-day sessions, attendees will register in the James Union Building, attend the welcome and general assembly in Murphy Center and view an orientation video in Learning Resources Center Room 221.

Also, My MT Connection Point is a new CUSTOMS program “to get freshmen connected by attending events when school begins immediately,” Poff said.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)