How do you spell “welcome?” “C-o-o-p-e-r-a-t-i-o-n”

Daniel Morin

Hurricane Frances may have dumped record rains on the region in its final throes, but it didn’t dampen the spirit of cooperation that ruled the campus during u101 Week.

Student athletes from the Gee-Gees helped new arrivals settle into university residences. It was one of the more successful joint initiatives during u101 Week.

From September 4 to 11, some 10 University services, as well as the Student Federation and faculty staff, put all their efforts into warmly welcoming some 6,000 new students. To help out, the Student Academic Success Service (SASS) trained student guides over the summer.

“When the rain started falling on that notable Thursday, the guides were told they could go home,” explains SASS director Serge Blais. “But they refused. They were like drowned rats, but they wanted to stay and continue answering questions.”

Administrators and students alike praise the cooperation, which contributed to the success of welcome week. “It’s fantastic,” suggests Guillaume Lemieux, vice-president of social affairs for the Student Federation. “Without the collaboration of Community Life, the federation’s major activities would have never happened,” he says, pointing out in particular the concert that took place on September 6 in Confederation Park.

Good vibes: Rector Gilles Patry with Dan ‘Kiss’ Bova, V.P. Academic for the Students' Federation.

“The success of welcome week reflects our work this summer,” says Martin Routhier, the co-ordinator of Community Life. Routhier further underlines the change in attitude towards the return-to-school activities. “Four years ago, no one would have believed that the federation’s biggest activity could be alcohol-free,” he says.

“The aim of the exercise was to create a friendly atmosphere to demystify and personalize the campus,” recalls Blais. Many joint events contributed to this objective, he says, noting that the three breakfast sessions held for the benefit of parents and newcomers, were the “high point” and attracted full houses. “People especially appreciated the rector being there.”

The hope is that there will even more extensive cooperation in the future. Serge Blais talks about integrating welcoming activities earlier in the admission process, while Guillaume Lemieux and Martin Routhier want to continue forging links. “We are already planning regular programming together to avoid any scheduling conflict,” claims Lemieux. “In the end, it is the students who benefit most from this cooperation.”