Posted on Aug. 29: Welcome Week helps students feel at home

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/WelcomeWeek.jpg” caption=”First Year Experience Office”]You can feel it in the air. September, it's just around the corner and that means students are about to begin classes for another year.

Students will be welcomed back to McMaster next week, and many activities have been planned by the University's new First Year Experience Office to make them feel as at home as possible.

“In the First Year Experience Office, we are frantically trying to nail down the plans the various groups are making for Welcome Week 2003, answer calls from first-year students and process for our orientation kits called the 'MacPac',” says First Year Experience co-ordinator Danielle Stayzer.

To find out more about Welcome Week, visit www.mcmaster.ca/ww to view pictures from past years, a general schedule of this year's events and information about the goals of Welcome Week at McMaster.

Some of this year's activities include a carnival of inflatable games, the Mac Connector where students meet many people in a short time and a karaoke competition. Students can also experience the traditional events such as the Bedraces and Airbands, the P.J. Parade through Westdale, clubsfest, concerts and movies, a charity casino and a show with the hypnotist, Mike Mandel. This year, the office is hosting Tony Conte, a motivational speaker who will talk to students about his own experience at university and what to expect from theirs.

Faculty Fusion is another event scheduled next week. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, first-year students have a chance to meet their faculty, including professors and the dean. Also on Tuesday, students will fill the Burridge gym, as they demonstrate their energy to keynote speaker Dave Rodney. Rodney is a mountain climber, a journalist, a photographer and is the only person in Canadian history to summit Mt. Everest twice. He will share his thoughts on what compels students to climb the mountains in their lives and connect his message to achieving academic success at McMaster. Rodney uses audio and video footage from his own climbing of Mt. Everest in a multi-media presentation.

Students begin classes on Thursday, Sept. 4.

“It is a week packed with fun and exciting events, all designed to orient students to their new environment and help ease their transition to university,” Stayzer says. “Together we are welcoming students to their new community and together we will help students make a connection to McMaster.”

Photo caption: McMaster's new First Year Experience Office is busy getting ready for the return of students. Pictured sitting, from left, are First Year Experience Office student co-ordinators Ryan Bell, Tim Ho and Christina Bruce and First Year Experience co-ordinator Danielle Stayzer. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay