McMaster University Welcome Week 2004 brings students together

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As students arrived at McMaster University on Labour Day weekend, they were greeted by the usual fanfare of Welcome Week. Across the campus, there were many groups of students, staff and faculty to welcome new students to McMaster and to aid them in finding their place within their particular student organization, department or faculty. Students who come to McMaster will each have their own, individual experience during Welcome Week, but they will also have shared experiences with their peers.

This year's Welcome Week will see some new activities and dean of students, Phil Wood says, “Our motivation for the changes and improvements to Welcome Week is the goal from Refining Directions [McMaster University's planning document] 'to build and inclusive community with a shared purpose.'” The week's theme, “One McMaster,” recognizes the diversity of the University and its students, while uniting the campus through the single shared experience of Welcome Week.

“Welcome Week needs to be connected to the academic mission of the University,” explains Michele Corbeil, co-ordinator, first-year transition with the First Year Experience Office (FYEO). “That's where it all starts.” With this in mind, the FYEO launched a new orientation program before students even arrived.

Prelude to Mac is an online orientation program designed to ease the transition from high school to University for first-year students before they arrive for classes in September. The Web site, which is organized around seven weekly themes such as Introduction to Mac, campus resources, and academic success, comes complete with videos, information, weekly quizzes and message boards. The message boards have proved extremely popular with new students who post questions and comments for their peers, upper-year monitors, professors, and staff. Says Welcome Week co-ordinator Erin Tolan, “Prelude started as a question and answer service, but now it has really become a community.” In fact, some students have already set up a meet-and-greet in their hometown, before they arrive on the McMaster campus to participate in Welcome Week activities.

Once on campus, another new program will give students a dramatic introduction to University life as they have an opportunity to watch and participate in a theatre production written specifically for Welcome Week. A cast of McMaster students will present IRIS  Inspiration, Reflections, Integrity, Success  a drama that welcomes students to their first year and highlights the challenges and opportunities facing university students. “The great thing about the IRIS production is that it's written by the student cast so the scenes reflect actual experiences,” says Meghann Haggerty, Welcome Week co-ordinator. “Our hope is that this drama will challenge students to look beyond the myths that get passed down to them and create their own unique experiences.”

To give students a unique introduction to the academic side of university life, the overall theme of Welcome Week will be applied to a central event, titled One McMaster  a Faculty Welcome. This event on Tuesday, Sept. 7 will focus on uniting students as a McMaster community as all faculties arrive on Les Prince Field for a formal welcome by President Peter George, dean of students Phil Wood, and other University personnel. “One McMaster is an introduction to the University as a whole, not simply to a student's faculty, building or class,” says Tolan. This event is receiving additional support from the McMaster Alumni Association as members connect with new students and introduce them to the full circle of university life.

Danielle Stayzer, first-year experience manager, has seen a significant shift over the last few years in the focus of Welcome Week and believes new students are benefiting. “As each Welcome Week concludes, we spend time evaluating the overall program as it connects to the University's goals. We take the student feedback directly to the next group of student planners and use it to move forward with the next year's program.”