The University has made the freshmen experience a prior issue.

“The campus as a whole is engaged in a special program called the Foundations of Excellence,” said Dr. Julio León, University president.

“It focuses its attention on the freshmen year experience,” León said.

León has asked department heads to devise programs to support freshmen.

“The whole idea is not just retention, but success,” he said. “We want to ensure freshmen have every opportunity to be successful.”

Southern loses 35 percent of students between the freshmen and sophomore year. While some students transfer to other universities, financial, family and personal problems can be formidable challenges for new students.

“There are always all sorts of things an institution can do to help students solve their problems,” León said. “We are asking department heads to pay special attention to students.”

León encourages faculty to participate in department meetings and discussions concerning their students’ performances in their major.

One department is catering to fit freshmen needs.

“The criminal justice department has adopted several different programs keeping those first year freshmen enrolled,” said Dr. Blake Wolf, head of the criminal justice department.

“One of those programs is multiple contacts,” he said. “Aside from enrollment, each of our faculty members really tries to make at least two contacts with their freshmen advisees throughout the course of the semester.”

More faculty interaction has shown to make students feel more comfortable on campus.

“One of the best things we do is front-load freshmen,” Wolf said. “We try to give them at least two criminal justice courses their first semester,” Wolf said.

If freshmen run into difficulty, they are close to their advisors.

Front-loading freshmen has made them more excited about their major.

“They are more apt to get involved with our student organizations, because they are here real close,” Wolf said.

Studies have shown students who are involved on campus have a higher chance of success.

“They are also getting a chance to get to know some of the same students they will be going through school with for the next four years,” Wolf said.

The criminal justice department is continuing a Fresh Start initiated program.

“We may get 4 or 5 students together who will take exactly the same classes throughout the same semester,” he said.

Wolf said class blocking has been popular with freshmen and several students request it for the next semesters.

Aside from the occasional pizza parties, the criminal justice department has been using technology to keep their freshmen updated.

“We have a freshmen Web site that we send announcements out to,” Wolf said.

Faculty in the department has been reading books on the freshmen year experience such as the Reading books dealing with first year experience: “What the Best colleges teacher do?” Ken Bain and “Challenging and Supporting the first year student” by Upcraft, Gardner and Barefoot.

The criminal justice department retains 80 percent of their first year freshmen.

From Wolfs experience, he recommends faculty to encourage students to get involved.

“Instructors are real important in terms of helping student organizations,” he said. “It really helps if instructors and professors encourage students to get involved in student organizations.”