It will be business before pleasure Monday for Ohio University Southern freshmen.

First-year students at OUS will learn some tips to help them succeed and then get a chance to make some friends at a cookout hosted by the dean.

Representatives for the job-searching Web site Monster.com will present a program titled "Making College Count" at 4 p.m. Monday in the Bowman Auditorium. Immediately following the one-hour program, students can join OUS Dean Dr. Dan Evans for the Freshman Welcome Cookout.

"We are an informal campus," Dr. Kim Keffer, director of enrollment services, said. "What better way for the dean to meet the students and their families than at a family style cookout?"

The representatives from Monster.com will talk about how to manage study time, finances and balance social and academic responsibilities, Keffer said.

Both events will set the tone for what the students can expect and let them know that OUS offers cultural events, athletic events and students' organizations, just like any other college, she said.

Five years ago, OUS had only two student organizations. For the 2003-2004 year they will have more than 30, Keffer said.

"It just keeps growing. All have been student-generated, which is why I think it works," Keffer said. "They know what they will enjoy."

The cookout will feature a disc jockey, interactive games and an ice-cream social. Students can also pick up schedules and student identification cards.

"We want the students to leave here firm in the belief that they fit in," she said. "They made a decision and we want them to feel like they belong, that this is their community now."

Keffer wanted to encourage parents, friends, spouses and other members of the student's support group to attend the cook-out because a key to success in college is having support.

She said it is important for students to realize that starting college is a new chapter in their lives -- it should be exciting, but it is normal to be a little nervous.

"We believe we attract some of the best students in the Tri-State, but college can still be difficult," she said.

Events like these are designed to help students become more acclimated to college before the class work begins, she said.

"We want them to know that the faculty and staff want them to do well in the classroom, but also develop who they are."