Noah Johnson Daily Press New students at Bay College hear from Bay Assistant Instructional Designer Delia Carroll about the different online resources available at Bay.

ESCANABA – Bay College is hosting a series of sessions for new students.

Bay Lift Off, or orientation 1.0, took place this week at the Escanaba campus.

“We are doing what we can to empower our students with knowledge regarding the processes and the offices at that Bay, so they know who to go to for different kinds of help,” said Bay College Director of Transfer and Advising Jillena Rose.

The day is an opportunity for students to get accustomed to life as a student at Bay, meet with staff, set up a student profile, get their student ID, and more.

“It’s a verbal tour of who does what, their face, their name; and yes, you can contact us… No question is too dumb,” said Bay Assistant Instructional Designer Delia Carroll.

Rose said Lift Off is about giving the students the skills necessary to navigate college life.

“Kind of two different sides of the coin; We want to give them the power to do what they need to do and then learn more about what it’s like to be a student here,” she explained.

Like any first day anywhere, a student’s first day in college can be overwhelming and invoke anxiety, but if they manage to take care of clerical tasks beforehand, such as getting acquainted with the student portal, they can focus on their courses on day one.

“We want to make sure that they’re ready and they can sign into MyBay, get their username and password set up, all those kinds of things, so they don’t hit roadblocks right away,” Rose said.

Staff are there to assist students in various aspects, including registering for classes, connecting with an advisor, touring the campus, and more.

The day is free, and lunch is even provided.

If prospective students missed the opportunity to attend this week, there are still chances to attend on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 at the Escanaba campus. There are two time slots available on both days: 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.

While Lift Off is geared towards new students, returning students who would like assistance or just a refresher on the processes are welcome to attend. The registration form can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ycxxbjam.

It’s the first year the college has hosted Lift Off, an idea born out of various Bay staff members.

“This comes from the experience of all of our staff, our advising staff, but also everyone in student services,” Rose said.

“We encounter students every year who, on the first two or three days of classes, are overwhelmed because they haven’t done these things, and so they hit roadblocks right away, and that frustration added to your first week in college is kind of overwhelming.”

She emphasized that providing students with the necessary tools to succeed before the first day of classes is crucial to prevent them from falling behind.

“Ultimately, we believe they’re going to be more successful in the long run because they come in feeling prepared and successful on day one,” Rose said.