The idea for the Office of New Students Programs (ONSP) was first proposed during the Fleming Administration by a task force concerned with how to revise the orientation program. The ONSP did not come into being until president James Duderstadt took office in 1988. President Duderstadt issued the Michigan Mandate in which he expressed a strong commitment to educating students about diversity. The Office of New Student Programs was responsible for teaching sessions on diversity during Summer Orientation. The students who conducted these sessions were called facilitators. The goal of the facilitators was to teach new students how to gain a greater understanding of prejudice and stereotyping and how they affect students' personal feelings. When this project first began ONSP contacted many other universities and sources such as the Anti-Defamation League to find out what materials they were using to teach about diversity. The ONSP learned that one of the means of education was through video. The ONSP continues to discuss diversity at orientation. The office currently maintains a web site where they answer general questions about the university and their office. The url for this site is <www.umich.edu/~orient>.
From the guide to the Office Of New Students Programs (University of Michigan) records, ca. 1950s-2005, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)
