Loyola University Chicago

General Background Information: 

The John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) Spring Semester Orientation 2009 will offer incoming students a sampling of the best that Rome and the surrounding Lazio region has to offer combined with a tour of Tuscany. Each day will include an intensive one hour Italian language session with instruction by Rome Center faculty.  The Orientation will culminate with a two day visit to the Tuscan city of Siena, which is world renowned for its art, food, architecture and beauty. The Spring Semester Orientation will also include visits to sites considered off the beaten path in the Lazio region.  Day trips will include a visit to the Hill town of Tivoli to explore one of the most spectacular villas ever built in the Roman era – Hadrian’s Villa. A second day trip will allow students to understand the history of one of the worlds’ most spectacular monasteries - Montecassino. Orientation activities formally come to a close on Wednesday, January 21 as the community will gather for a service at the Rome Church of Sant’Ignazio, an event to be followed by a traditional three-course meal.  At the core of the JFRC Orientation program are a series of workshops to allow students to set goals for the coming semester, informal gatherings to meet faculty, cultural adaptation workshops to learn about ways in which one can best acclimate to the Mediterranean way of life, and a handful of Italian meals to taste some of the best food in the world.   After having participated in the John Felice Rome Center Orientation 2009, new students will have gained their bearings in Rome and will have encountered nooks and crannies of central Italy that few American tourists see. 

All Orientation activities, times and dates listed on this web page are subject to change.  A final agenda will be provided upon arrival on January 8^th to begin orientation in Rome.   A reminder for those who will not be traveling with the group flight: please refer to the “Travel” section of this website for details as to how to secure an official taxi upon arrival in Rome. 

No John Felice Rome Center students are allowed to move into the residence hall prior to 10:00 AM on Thursday, January 8^th.  If you plan on arriving in Rome prior to January 8^th, you may consider some of the lower cost hotels listed in the accommodation section of these JFRC web pages.

Please arrive in Italy with Euro currency in your pocket. Orientation week activities will be busy and you are likely to find yourself NOT able to easily access bank machines for Euro currency.  Play it safe and arrive in Italy with a substantial amount of Euro (€200) in hand in order to save time during Orientation week.

Arrival in Rome

10:00AM - 1:30 PM Early Registration

Students not arriving on the group flight may register in the Study Hall. Information packets will be available at the Registration Table. Staff and Student Life Assistants (SLA) will be present to answer questions and provide instructions related to move-in procedures.

Student Life Assistant (SLA) Staff:

Chris Kelleher, Anna Carlson, Carla Mollica, Jim Brophy, Danielle Decina

12:00 – 2:30 PM            Lunch in the Mensa (Cafeteria)

1:30 – 4:30 PM              Official Registration Begins

1:30 – 3:00 PM

Group #1:  Students with last names beginning A to M

                 Time will be available for these students to have lunch in the Mensa.

3:00 – 4:30 PM

Group #2: Students with last names beginning N to Z

                                     Location: Mensa

All JFRC students are required to attend this session

Dr. John Nicholson; Professor of Fine Arts

Bookstore information

Elise Aversa; Librarian

Library information

Teresa Mastropieri;

Academic Advising

Nicole Bubalo:

English Language Program

5:00 – 6:00 PM              Introductory Meeting (mandatory)    

All students must attend this mandatory informational floor meeting at which critical information will be communicated regarding life at the Rome Center and in the local community.  Students living in: 

• Rooms 201 - 217: Meet in the Rinaldo’s with SLA Anna
• Rooms 218 – 234: Meet in the Mensa with SLA Chris
• Rooms 235 – 251: Meet in Rinaldo’s Café with SLA Anna
• Rooms 301 – 317: Meet in the Library with SLA Danielle
• Rooms 318 – 334: Meet in classroom 118 with SLA Carla
• Rooms 401 – 415: Meet in classroom 117 with SLA Jim

Topics to be covered:

Community Standards, Rome Center Institutional Policies, Campus facilities (laundry, cafeteria, chapel, etc), Administrative Matters, Medical Support, Safety, Student Mail, Computers, Phones, Fire Exits

6:00 – 7:30PM               Mensa (Cafeteria)

7:00 PM            Dinner in the neighborhood  (Optional)

Dinner at Restaurant Capperi will be available for 20 euros.  Students will be asked to pay for the meal during Registration.   The number of seats will be limited.

Late Morning:   Mandatory Permit to Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno) Paperwork Session

Students are required to attend the session at the times listed below.  Information regarding your legal Permit to Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno) will be discussed.   Please be sure to bring your passport and a blue pen to this session.

• 10:30 AM –  11:15  AM              Students whose last names begin with the letter A through G
• 11:15 AM –  12:00  PM              Students whose last names begin with the letter H through N
• 12:00 PM –  12:45  PM              Students whose last names begin with the letter O through Z

12:00 to 2:00     Mensa

2:00 PM and 4:00 PM    Walking Tour (optional)

The SLA staff will conduct a brief tour (30 minutes) of the Monte Mario neighborhood.  The tour will point out basics such as where to shop, find an ATM Machine, area coffee bars and bus stops. Meet in the Rome Center lobby at either 2:00 PM or 4:00 PM.

Afternoon Free

6:00 – 7:30 Dinner in Mensa

Overnight Trip to Tuscany

What to bring and what not to bring:  You will be away from the Rome Center for approximately thirty hours so we ask that you please pack simply.  A small backpack that includes comfortable walking shoes, a warm jacket, a raincoat or umbrella, gloves and a hat for the evenings should suffice. While staying in the hotel you will be assigned to a room with two or three other Rome Center students (men and women in separate rooms).  The accommodations will be in a four-star Italian hotel with meals and private bathrooms included. 

11:00 AM          Check in at Hotel Garden (www.gardenhotel.it/it/garden/garden.html)

12:30 PM          Lunch at the Hotel

2:30 to 3:30 PM         Italian Language Classes – All groups 1-8

4:00 to 7:00 PM         Visit to the the Village of San Gimignano

San Gimignano is famous for its towers which date from a period when prosperous families fought battles in the town using towers to store their grain for sieges. They were also conveniently used for dumping boiling oil on attacking armies.  Rome Center students need not fear such attacks.

7:30 PM            Dinner at Hotel

8:45 PM            Evening keynote address: Dr. Susana Cavallo; JFRC Associate Director           

9:15 PM            Orientation activities completed for the day 

Siena

8:00 – 9:30 AM              Breakfast

9:00 AM to Noon          Free to explore Siena on your own

10:00 AM                          Mass in Siena (Optional) 

Fr. Albert Anuszewski, O.SS.T., Director of Rome Center Campus Ministry, will celebrate mass at a local church.  Students will be asked to walk from the Hotel to Mass.  Approximately a 25 minute walk.

12:00 AM                      Lunch at the Hotel Garden

1:30 to 2:30 PM         Italian Language Classes – All groups 1-8

2:30 to 4:00 PM         Rome Center: A window into our living and academic communities

Community Standards workshop in Auditorium

Conducted by the SLA Staff and Mr. Todd Waller, Associate Director for Student Life

4:30 PM            Departure for Rome Center

8:00 PM            Dinner at the Rome Center Cafeteria (Mensa)

Day excursion – Trip to Hadrian’s Villa (near Tivoli)

9:00 – 10:00 PM         Italian Language Classes – All groups 1-8

10:15 AM          Departure

3:30 PM           Depart from Hadrian’s Villa to return to the Rome Center

5:00 PM           Arrive back on campus

6:00 - 7:30 PM   Dinner at the Rome Center (Mensa)

9:00 PM            Study Trip Informational Meeting (Optional)

Details will be explained pertaining to all Rome Center Study Trips.  Trip itineraries, costs and travel tips will be provided. The meeting will be held in the Mensa.