If you have never enrolled in Summer B, you probably have heard about it. Taking place for six weeks, Summer B is usually when all the magic begins.
Students who choose to enroll during the summer are given the opportunity to stay on campus and take classes for the first time at Florida A&M.
Summer B is an action-packed term that allows the new freshmen on “The Hill” to become familiar with the campus, the classrooms, and definitely some of the extracurricular activities that the FAMU student body has to offer during the fall and springtime.
This is a time when students from all over are able to leave home and build relationships with their orientation leaders, resident assistants, professors, and most importantly, the classmates that they will be accompanied by for the next couple of years.
FAMU ’s housing department’s assistant director, Terence Turner, sent out an email last Thursday to all resident assistants saying that there will be no student staff for the summer. An Instagram post was then made from housing’s page letting students know that there will be no summer housing.
While the university will temporarily have to function remotely, there are some current FAMU students who do believe that incoming freshman have been partly robbed of an amazing social experience like Summer B.
“I think it is unfortunate that they aren’t able to get the small crossover from high school to college. They won’t have the same opportunity to get to know the campus if they haven’t visited before,” said Ayiana Murphy, a freshman whose summer experience last year was her first time away from home by herself.
“Summer B provided me with amazing mentors and new friends. It definitely helped me to come out of my shell a little more with the showcase,” said Kianna Necy, a rising sophomore majoring in biology ore-med.
“Incoming freshmen students who plan to enroll for the summer will be provided with resources to help them prepare for the fall term. Remote instruction and virtual courses are the wave of the future and we will provide support services virtually to assist the students as well,” said William E. Hudson, Jr., vice president for the Office ofStudent Affairs.
Although there has been a transition to remote learning, the show must go on. According to Hudson, current student leaders like those in SGA and Orientation Leaders will be participating in Zoom meetings with incoming students to discuss the university and encourage enrollment.