Category: 2014-2015 Common Read: Orange Is The New Black

The first Summer New Students Orientation session is just around the corner. We are so excited to be welcoming our first group of students from the class of 2018 to campus! While the two days of Summer NSO will be jam-packed with information, advising, testing and of course getting to know your classmates, we are also excited that you will be receiving a copy of this year’s Common Read selection – Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. For those of you coming later in the summer – don’t worry, we will not be running out of copies anytime soon. Those are just the tip of the iceberg!

After you receive your copy of the book there are plenty of ways to stay engaged as more and more of your classmates get their copy. Check back here on the blog for regular video updates with thoughts from current UMass students as well as posts regarding the book, upcoming programs and some fun competitions to be involved with. You can also check on the Common Read website for regular updates or follow us on Twitter at @UMassCommonRead.

This year, Provost James Staros and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Enku Gelaye charged the Common Read Selection Committee with finding a book that would not only be an engaging, popular read for incoming students during the summer before college but would also align productively with the “UMatter at UMass” themes of compassion, care, and community engagement.  They also asked the committee to be especially attentive to books with female authors and protagonists after three years of male authors and protagonists.

Operating with a very compressed timeframe, the Common Read Selection Committee comprised of members of the faculty and University staff undertook the most thorough, transparent, and inclusive process ever used to select a Common Read at UMass.  Thirty-six undergraduate students, eleven faculty, graduate students, and staff, and the ten members of the Common Read Selection Committee read a selection of books in one month, evaluating each book on a variety of criteria with a special focus on the ideals and philosophies of the “UMatter at UMass” campaign. UMatter espouses values of “actively caring for others,” “showing compassion to others,” “helping to create a supportive/caring community,” and “speaking up for injustice.”  While current media popularity of Orange is the New Black may focus on the dramatic aspects of the writing and television adaptation, more than 75% of the readers noted of the relevance and connectedness of the text to these important UMatter themes.

With continued work and development, the Common Read Planning Committee is working to infuse these themes into structured conversations and programmatic opportunities for the start of the fall 2014 semester.