Posted on Sept. 2: Easing first-year transition

Years of preparation and careful attention to cultural trends are among the greatest assets for McMaster staff, faculty and student leaders helping this year's double cohort class adjust to university life.

With the changing profile of first-year students — most notably those who will begin a post-secondary education and leave home as young as 16 — comes the Office of First Year Experience, the University's newest initiative to meet the growing needs of first-year students.

“We've been preparing for the double cohort for several years as we have seen a gradual increase of 16- to 18-year olds coming to McMaster in the last four years,” says Danielle Stayzer, first year experience co-ordinator. “There are many programs and services offered to students at McMaster that are designed to support them academically and socially, and it is my goal that this office will add its support to both students and the staff running these programs.”

Three student co-ordinators, Ryan Bell, Christina Bruce, and Tim Ho, have also been working out of the office this summer to answer phone calls from first-year students, process the sales of orientation kits called 'MacPacs', and nail down the plans various campus groups have made for Welcome Week 2003.

The office is to serve as a knowledge base of all things first-year, Stayzer says. She'll work with the many campus groups and faculties who co-ordinate first-year support programs and Welcome Week events, and she'll identify any gaps in that existing support network to ensure students make the transition as smoothly as possible. She also hopes to start a Web site for First Year Experience, to be used as a resource similar to existing Web sites for Welcome Week and McMaster Parents.

“Being at university can be an overwhelming experience, and the campus can feel like a small town in itself,” says Stayzer. “I'm hoping this office will provide students with many kinds of support, and even act as a drop-in for students who are looking for information but are unsure of where to go.”

Stayzer, who has worked at McMaster in Residence Life, Housing Services for 10 years, says this year's class demographics are similar to those in recent years, because an increasing number of students have been fast-tracking through high school to beat the double cohort class. There are trends that have already been surfacing — such as parents getting more involved in their child's academic and social lives on campus — that have been reflected in programming for the incoming first-year class.

“This year Student Affairs has a Web site that gives parents up-to-date information about how they can help their students adjust to University life,” says Stayzer. “We hope to update it throughout the year by posting information articles to keep them informed about schedules such as exam weeks so they'll know when it would be helpful to be particularly supportive.”

As for Welcome Week, Stayzer says the higher percentage of underage students has altered the course of those activities already over the past few years. This year's organized activities include only one timeslot that continues to offer the service of alcohol, and that's the evening individual faculties are hosting. There are no limits to alcohol for students who are of age, but they will have no access to it during most Welcome Week events.

“When people are planning events for the first-year students we have to make sure that the event meets the needs of the majority of the participants,” Stayzer says. “With more than half of them being underage, we're challenging student leaders to really consider the intent of the event they're planning, and to choose venues that include everyone.”

More information about Welcome Week is available at www.mcmaster.ca/ww. Information for parents is available at http://access.mcmaster.ca/parents/.