On a campus of over 70,000 students, finding a place to connect with peers can feel overwhelming. For first semester students, Hullaballoo U can help ease them into the transition to college by providing them a space to meet peers and access to one-on-one time with an instructor. The first-year experience course equips first-year students to achieve academic and personal goals, take advantage of campus resources, develop community and a sense of belonging, and contribute to the Aggie community. In most cases, Hullabaloo U is a zero-credit hour course, so it is free for students, and the course is taught by a staff or faculty member and a peer mentor.

In the fall of 2023, over 50 staff members within the Division of Student Affairs volunteered to teach sections of Hullabaloo U. These instructors taught groups of around 25 students a curriculum that introduces campus resources and ways to be successful as a college student at Texas A&M.

Elizabeth Lindan ‘82, senior administrative coordinator in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, was named the 2022 Hullabaloo U Instructor of the Year. In the three semesters Lindan has taught the course, she has been able to impact her students by building relationships with them. “My philosophy about my work in the division is all about building relationships no matter whom you encounter. It’s all about letting people know they are important,” she said. “I want my students to know that I hear them, I see them, and they are important.”

One way Lindan lets her students know she is there for them is by extending an invitation to lunch. “I tell them this offer for lunch never expires,” she said. “So sometimes I’ll have students that are juniors or seniors or graduated that send me a message wanting to get lunch.”

Lindan said that the connections she made with her students and peer mentors have been long lasting and have taught her just as much as she has taught them.

Lindsey Norman, communications manager for the Division of Student Affairs, just wrapped up her first two semesters as a Hullabaloo U instructor. When she decided she wanted to teach her first semester, Norman was yearning for more interaction with students. She immediately jumped in to teaching two sections her first semester and an additional section in the spring.

“The thing that I love about Hullabaloo U is that the classes are so small it allows me to notice the small things,” Norman said. “I take note when one of my students doesn't show up to class and I make sure to check in with them and make sure everything is okay.”

She says the little things feel even more important on a campus as large as Texas A&M. “I want them to know I’m cheering them on from the sidelines.”

Being a Hullabaloo U instructor also helps Norman in her day-to-day job. “Working in marketing, it’s important for me to keep a pulse on the student experience,” she said. “I want to make sure that I am in tune to Gen Z and what they are looking for in their college experience so that I can then better tailor communications to them and make sure marketing efforts for involvement opportunities are reaching them effectively.”

Dr. Carol Binzer, the director of administrative and support services in the Department Residence Life, has taught Hullabaloo U for six years. The 2023 Instructor of the Year works with Living Learning Communities made up of students with similar interests who usually live on the same residence hall floor. Binzer said the opportunity to look after her group of 25 or so students every year “nourishes [her] soul.”

The connections she forms in her classes make her work in Residence Life feel even more important. “When I am making policy decisions or working to make proposals, I have faces,” she said. “It's not a sea of anonymous students that I'm working on behalf of. It’s my students.”

Binzer said that one of the most rewarding parts of teaching is getting to be there with students when they simply need someone to sit with them. “They don't need moms or grandmoms, they have those, but sometimes they just need somebody to be there when family can’t.”

Some of Binzer’s favorite moments over the years have included simply letting students know it’s okay to be afraid and that she would be there to support them however they needed. From holding hands in ER waiting rooms to cheering on students who were elected to leadership positions, Binzer has made being a presence in her students’ lives a priority.

Though these three instructors’ Hullabaloo U experiences are different and unique, they all agreed on one thing: any staff members interested in the program should jump right in.