Incoming Bishop’s Students are in for a Wild Orientation Week

The Bishop’s University Students’ Representative Council (BUSRC) will be hosting Bishop’s annual orientation week starting tomorrow, September 1, with activities continuing until the 8th. Over the course of the next week incoming Bishop’s students will be welcomed to the school through events and activities on the theme of “the jungle of higher education.” While the members of the incoming class try to navigate their way through the vines of their undergraduate degree, the week will work to build personal connections and new relationships through events ranging from the traditional concert night and field day to the mandatory Bystander Intervention Training session and “Can I Kiss You?” discussion about consent. The week will also hold charity events, environmental initiatives and other activities aimed at providing a broad introduction to Bishop’s culture.

One of the main priorities of Orientation Week, according to the BUSRC, is educating incoming students on the notions of consent, and how to be an active bystander in dangerous or uncomfortable situations. Continuing on an initiative from previous years, all incoming students will attend a mandatory Bystander Intervention training session. “Can I Kiss You?” and The Safe Boxes will also be returning to this year Orientation Week.

This year’s Orientation Week will also include academic workshops, or University Survival Guides, given in a peer-to-peer style such as ‘How to Pass Math’, ‘International Student Prep’ and ‘How to give an A+ Presentation’. These workshops are given before the start of classes in order to give additional assistance to the new students from their peers. A lecture, given by two Bishop’s Professors, Dr. Teed and Dr. Mcbrine, entitled “You Can Do That Here” will be given 5th September at 5pm in Bandeen Hall, discussing failure, motivation and success. These academic aspects are a great way to show the well-roundedness of Bishop’s students.

The Orientation Week coordinators have also pushed to include a wide variety of events such a Coffee House and Ice Cream Social, will encourage new students to make friends and meet people outside of their Orientation Week team, fostering those connections that the BUSRC strive for and Bishop’s University is well known for.

The annual concert will take place on September 3, featuring Yukon Blond, opening act Ellevator, and closing act Louis Wax. Tickets are available to returning students and the community at large for $20.00. The opening night event, Gaiter Gardens, will take place 2nd September after midnight. Lennoxville residents should be advised there will be audible music for both evenings, despite all measures taken to mitigate noise.

The charity event for this year’s Orientation Week, follows the theme and is a plant sale called ‘Jungle-fy your Room’ encouraging new students to decorate their residence rooms and make it their own. The sale will happen September 6 from 2pm – 4pm, with proceeds going to Dunham House, this year’s Orientation Week charity.