With their own rendition cheer song in mind using Furgie’s “London Bridges,” group 20, walk through CSUN with matador spirit and into the halls of the Performing Arts Center for their freshmen orientation to end on Aug. 30.

With about 15 freshmen and two leaders, Group 20 was only one of many orientation groups dispersed around the campus, in order to give them a better insight on how college life is.

Matthew Valdez, fifth year senior urban studies major and one of the leaders of Group 20 said, “The good thing about orientation is that it is really fun to meet new people and every freshmen has their needs and we have to tailor to their needs.”

Orientation leaders are volunteer students who receive priority registration in the spring of 2007 and 10 percent off their first purchase of books from the Matador Bookstore.

The group leaders worked hard to motivate the incoming freshmen to participate in the day’s events and to over all have fun.

“The part I liked most about orientation is the interaction I had with the group leaders and they were really good and funny,” said Roney Soleimain, freshmen undecided major.

The seven-day event, divided by separate majors, had an attendance of about 2,800 freshmen, an increase of about 100 students from last year, according to Hilda Garcia-Putzel, the Assistant Director of New Student Programs.

She added that three different phone calls inviting students to attend the event were made for about 3,000 freshmen this year.

The cost for providing this service to freshmen students was more than $150,000, which was a slight increase from last year.

” One of the biggest expenses I had this year was renting out the Performing Arts Center for about $20,000 for all the days of orientation,” said Garcia-Putzel.

Orientation is mandatory for incoming freshmen and last year according to Garcia-Putzel, the majority of students were concerned about the duration of the event. This year she scheduled the event to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 6 p.m., about an hour to two hours less than last year.

In previous years, a make-up orientation day would have been implemented; however, Garcia-Putzel ended it because of the lack of student interest in attending this session.

“This year we will be having a booth during the Presidential Welcome on Sept. 7, where those students who did not attend orientation can come and see us and we will give them their freshmen packet and answer any questions they may have,” said Garcia- Putzel.

After a full day of meetings, touring and seeing live performances, Group 20 gathered outside the PAC to rehearse their cheer song just before entering the auditorium filled with freshmen who were ready to begin their competition and their new life as CSUN students.

“It’s a different venue, a different life, new activities and after being used to something for four years, I am ready for something new,” said Mario Amidi, freshman undecided major.