Orientation is over...now what?

September is almost over, not to mention Orientation, and campuses across Canada are onto the next phase (depending on what area you are in). Those of you who are in Orientation or first-year experience units might argue that the day/couple of days/week of Orientation programming may be over, but the transitioning of new students to your institution is not. To that end, many student affairs units are busy attending to the rush of student requests: possibly to change/drop/add courses, financial aid, jobs, volunteer opportunities, and opportunities for engagement.

Admissions offices typically see this as a lull in between storms, and are preparing for Fall 2012 along with their colleagues in recruitment. Recruitment officers are busy preparing to go on the road, either domestically or internationally. For example the Ontario Universities' Fair is right around the corner, and the start of another main student cycle about to begin.

Student engagement activities are also ramping up within residences and through student life, student success, or commuter student focused units. Now that new students have settled into their new environment, hopefully having learned how to navigate the post-secondary waters through their Orientation programming (and hopefully met a new friend in their program), they are keen to be involved outside of the classroom. I would like to touch on three opportunities for today's blog: volunteering, student union, and leadership.

Volunteering is desired by many students as a way to both get involved, and pad a curriculum vitae. There is the opportunity to learn 'on the job' skills, feel good about oneself, and assist others in valuable ways. The Canadian culture has also helped to foster an affinity towards volunteering: there's the mandatory volunteerism in Ontario secondary schools, and recently I learned about the province of Manitoba providing $500-$1,000 bursaries intended for tuition or student loan relief in appreciation of 100 or 200 hours of volunteer work with an approved non-profit/registered charity (click HERE for more info). There will be volunteer fairs on campuses across Canada so that students may get involved during their academic year because typically they are working or traveling during the summer months.

Student unions are another example of student engagement opportunities. While the readership of Academica's Top Ten is, I would say, mostly administrative, I know of several student union leaders who subscribe to this service and read it daily, and refer to it in discussions at senior management level meetings. While most student unions operate autonomously from the institution, they are historically leaders on campus for engaging their student clientele (here at the University of Manitoba, UMSU just wrapped up almost two weeks of social/cultural programming...click HERE for their calendar of events). There are club/group days where student union approved or prospective clubs or groups can recruit additional students to join their video game/swing dancing/movie/chess club or group and meet other like-minded people. While relationships between student unions and administrations have been strained at times, I believe that students need to have a voice and are deserving of praise for all of the good they bring to our campuses.

Just over a year ago I wrote about leadership in Canadian universities and colleges in relation to our websites, mission, and vision statements. The importance of student leadership has only increased across the landscape since that time. The University of Calgary will be hosting the 5th Annual Canadian Conference on Student Leadership from November 17-20, 2011 (click HERE for more info). This is just one of the many ways to jump-start your institutions' leadership interests or a place to provide professional development for your established and emerging student leaders (not to mention yourselves).

The start of the academic year is a busy, bustling and exciting time. It can be stressful, for students, staff and faculty alike (not to mention the family and friends of new students) so be sure to get your rest, take your vitamins, walk your dog/cat/self to get some fresh air and make the most of your time. Also, winter is right around the corner so enjoy the benefits of climate change while they present themselves, because the pendulum can swing the other way!

Brendan Hughes is the Director of Student Life at the University of Manitoba. This new position has been created to facilitate intentional institutional programming and engagement opportunities for University of Manitoba students. Brendan has research interests in Student Engagement, Leadership, Orientation, Service Learning and the broader realm of Student Affairs interests. He can be reached at 204-272-1596, at brendan_hughes@umanitoba.ca, or by visiting http://umanitoba.ca/student/studentlife/.