Welcome Week builds campus community

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BY Mila Ray-Daniels

September 6, 2006

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Handshake edited.jpg” caption=”McMaster Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs, and Dean of Students Philip Wood (left) and President Peter George shook hands with more than 3,700 first-year students during a Welcome Week event on Sept. 5. Photo by Susan Bubak. “]Welcome Week is well underway. Many students and staff here on campus have worked diligently behind the scenes to plan for a fun-filled and memorable week that will uphold the traditions and values of McMaster University for the year ahead.

“We've seen students taking an increased interest in their communities and the world around them,” says Phil Wood, associate vice-president, Student Affairs and Dean of Students. “They're interested in volunteering, participating in all kinds of activities and giving back to their communities.” That kind of student interest is reflected in the programming for Welcome Week and in the plans for the coming year.

For example, the Pajama Parade scheduled for Wednesday evening has a long history at McMaster University, dating back to the 1940's. The Parade, currently organized by the McMaster Students Union (MSU), is designed to introduce students to the Ainslie Wood and Westdale communities and to give the neighbours an opportunity to meet the students.

“We have planned significant changes to the Pajama Parade,” says Christina Burns, Director of Campus Events, MSU. “We're working hard to bring the event back to its roots as a parade for the entire community.” To reflect this change, the event will be run more as a parade, as the name would suggest, rather than a march through the neighbourhood.”

During Welcome Week training, 1,100 reps were involved in discussions about how to meet the needs of students and the community to create an enjoyable parade. To work toward this end, the MSU is also:

  • hiring officers for traffic control and to patrol the parade route;
  • hiring a by-law officer to uphold property standards, (eg. no furniture is to be left on lawns, etc.);
  • encouraging clean-up by assigning bonus points to floats and following the parade with a clean-up;
  • deducting demerit points from students for poor conduct in the community.

    “We spend a lot of time finding ways to help students understand that McMaster is part of a wider community and that showing respect for our Westdale and Ainslie Wood neighbours is an important part of their time at the university,” says Wood.

    The MSU, McMaster and the City of Hamilton are also partnering on a new program called Project Watchdog. Three students, under the authority of the City of Hamilton, will monitor homes and work with the City to encourage landlords to maintain property standards.

    The MSU, McMaster, the Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association of Resident Homeowners, the Westdale Business Improvement Area, Hamilton Police Service and the City of Hamilton have also partnered to recognize students who make a positive contribution to the community. Outstanding students were nominated for being good neighbours last year and neighbours will be on the look-out for new nominees for this school year.