VCU’s Summer Reading Program prepares incoming students for college-level academics, while helping them build relationships with the university community.
One Virginia Commonwealth University program encourages incoming freshmen to connect with the university and engage in college-level discussions — before ever setting foot in the classroom.
VCU’s 2008 Summer Reading Program selection is “Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights” by Kenji Yoshino. The book analyzes the concept that people often mask aspects of their identity through their appearance, associations with people and other methods, even if they can’t fully hide their true selves.
“If we’re going to start out talking about identity and who they are as college students, we thought that it would be interesting for our students to look at how much they are covering as they begin their life as a college student,” said Daphne Rankin, Ph.D., director of student engagement in the Office of the Vice Provost for Instruction.
Created to ease the transition from high school to college, the Summer Reading Program introduces incoming students to the academic and intellectual culture of VCU through a common reading experience. Students will receive a copy of the text when they arrive at New Student Orientation and are expected to complete it before returning to campus in August.
During the summer, students may share what they’ve learned through the Facebook group “VCU Class of 2012 Reading Program.” Once they are on campus, Welcome Week discussion sessions will provide an opportunity to take a more advanced look at the book and examine the themes and messages presented.
“College is supposed to be a very liberating thing,” said Charmian Lam, a VCU sophomore who served on the summer reading selection committee. “You’re supposed to realize things about society and yourself that you’ve never realized before. And with the program, since we pick culturally friendly books, students have a chance to do that.”
Rankin hopes that through the online and Welcome Week sessions, incoming freshmen will feel even more prepared for university-level academics, as well as connected to the faculty and their fellow students.
The book will carry through the academic year by serving as students’ first assignment in their Focused Inquiry course, the cornerstone of VCU’s Core Curriculum that emphasizes written and oral communication, critical thinking, collaborative learning, information retrieval and assessment, and social and civic responsibilities.
“The Summer Reading Program introduces them to the academic culture and academic discourse of the university,” Rankin said. “I want them to have the experience of being a college student and the experience of thinking critically as a college student. I want them to have a better understanding of university expectations when it comes to being a student and being prepared for their classes. I want them to feel like they’re engaged and they’re part of the VCU community.”
