For the first time ever, the Ohio State Welcome Leaders program will be run by students.

The program has been run by Residence Life since it began. Now Ohio State students will have a chance to implement their leadership abilities.

“The more things that we can put into the hands of students, the better it can be,” said Jenny Klein, an assistant director of Residence Life. “We wanted to have students run it since it is a student program.”

Residence Life will select two students to be the co-chairs of the OWL program.

The two leaders will select a committee made up of students and staff. This committee will then oversee the program from its beginning stages to the end.

The co-chairs will take on numerous responsibilities. This quarter and spring quarter, the two students chosen will have preliminary meetings with key players and assist as hall directors selecting OWL coordinators.

The co-chairs will also work at the front desk of Neilwood Gables this summer. They will receive free room and board, in addition to a generous salary.

While the co-chairs will be in charge of the OWL program, Residence Life will watch over them and make sure everything is going smoothly.

“We are about providing as many leadership opportunities as possible,” Klein said.

In the past, the OWL program has given students the chance to work on their communication skills and leadership positions.

The students participating in the OWL program are trained by OWL coordinators.

Rodney Ross, a senior in aviation and OWL coordinator for the past two years, said being a coordinator has taught him qualities everyone should learn before leaving college.

“Being an OWL coordinator helped me with networking skills to meet new people,” Ross said. “I recommend that everyone do it.”

Brandy Ethridge, a senior in human development and family science, was an OWL coordinator this past fall.

“I really enjoyed it,” Ethridge said. “Being a coordinator helped me get acquainted with the area and the people.”

When Ethridge was a coordinator, she had just moved to south campus. She said she had already met 45 to 60 people before classes started.

Ethridge was interested in the co-chair position, but she already has a full-time commitment for this summer.

According to Klein, there were many students who were interested in being co-chairs of the OWL program, which will make the decision difficult.

Ross and Ethridge both said they feel the coordinator position taught them a great deal of leadership.

The co-chair positions should be an even greater amount of leadership.

While participants in the OWL program do not get paid, they receive a free T-shirt and have the chance to move in early – something that students usually have to pay for.

“The OWLs get settled in before the students even move in,” Klein said. “They become resident experts.”

The original idea of the OWL program was just to help students move in, but it has turned into much more than that. Three days of activities, movies and ice-breakers are some events included in the OWL program.

Another first will be move-in day switching from Sunday to Saturday. This year, move-in will be Sept. 21.

“I have been working here for seven years and move-in day has always been on a Sunday,” Klein said.

Move-in day is usually on a Sunday because there are football games on Saturday. There is no gamet his year, so OSU students will move in a day earlier than usual.