(September 1, 2022) - The summer flew by, and here we are, preparing for another fall semester. As September begins, Laurentian University launches its fall Orientation program, a welcome week for new and returning students designed to help students stay positive, healthy, and connected.
This year’s number of incoming students represents an increase from 2021 and they are very much looking forward to a more traditional in-person welcome week, even as face coverings will be required in all instructional spaces where distance cannot be maintained.
For students who have chosen to live on campus, residence move-in begins September 1st through to September 3rd. While activities are planned to welcome students to their new homes, Residence Life also provides support to students needing a helping hand getting settled.
Following residence move-in days, September 4th brings back the ever-popular “Beach Day,” an event that students can anticipate will offer opportunities for team building and making new friends. Orientation events offered through September 12th include campus tours, Varsity soccer home openers, cultural teachings (like fire keeper and wiigwam teachings), a carnival day, a game night and a scavenger hunt. The Sacred Fire will be lit in the fire pit area outside the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre’s Round Room from September 5th-9th and all are welcome to join.
To ensure Orientation is accessible to all, some events are offered in hybrid or online formats.
Corie Ann Flesch, Student Transitions Coordinator and Academic Advisor, and alumna of Psychologie (BA) and Interdisciplinary Health (MA) programs, is confident that fall Orientation will have a positive impact on students: “We want students to come to campus knowing that this [Laurentian] is a community. It really is a welcoming and caring environment and we hope that students come back with a renewed sense of support and belonging.”
Keeping this in mind, an academic orientation day will be held on campus on September 6th. Participating students are encouraged to attend information sessions at which they will learn about academic resources and other support systems that contribute to good physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being.
“Our focus this year in planning Orientation was not just about educating students about resources available on campus, but also about ensuring they have the best tools at their disposal to access these systems of support, successfully,” said Emma Groulx, third year Biomedical Biology student and Career, Events and Outreach Coordinator. Groulx explains that welcome booths will be located in the centre of campus in the R.D.-Parker building not only during Orientation week, but ongoingly as the first few weeks of the semester are underway.
The energy across campus is already palpable, and students returning to or beginning their first year at Laurentian are all a part of this excitement.
For more information about fall Orientation and to view the schedule of events, please visit laurentian.ca/orientation.