Basic Facts about FYRE
FYRE’s purpose is to initiate a culture of accessibility to all resources on campus by developing students’ sense of ownership of their education. Through mentorship and community-building, we will help students better prepare for their transition to college and understand how to engage with the campus, faculty, and alumni of Harvard. We aim to support our students as they accomplish their goals and lead healthy lifestyles. This program strives to bolster the strengths and tools they already possess to prepare them for their semesters ahead.
Eligibility
All incoming first-year Harvard college students will be eligible to apply for the program. Students who are of the first generation in their family to go to college, those from low to modest-income backgrounds, and those whose high schools are typically under-represented in the Ivy League will be encouraged to apply.
Numbers
- 3.5 Days -- Similar to the First-Year International Program, this will be 3.5 days with students arriving on Thursday and staying with the program until Sunday. There will be optional events on the following Monday, the day before official move-in day.
- 100 freshmen -- The students will be chosen by the Steering Committee with the guidance of the Program Director and Admissions and Financial Aid.
- 20 Team Leaders -- Including 4 members of the Steering Committee, there will be 20 upperclassmen that will be leading the first-years throughout the retreat.
- 6 Steering Committee Members -- 2 Co-Chairs and 4 members, the Steering Committee is tasked with developing the program.
- 1 Program Director -- The Program Director, also the FDO's Student Advocate for the following academic year, is in charge of administrative aspects of the program as well as being a liaison between the Steering Committee and administrators.
The program will take place from August 23-26, 2018. Team leaders will be asked to report to campus on August 20 for Team Leader Training. The program will take place in Wigglesworth and will run concurrently with the other pre-orientation programs. Participants are eligible to do Fall Clean Up before the start of the FYRE, August 20-23.
Caveat
This is a two-year pilot program that will be assessed by the guidelines set forth by the Advisory Committee, a group that met weekly in Fall 2017 to create an advisory report that was then given to the Steering Committee.
