The Orange Pandemic has taken over McLaughlin College. At Bethune College, dragons are on the loose, while Eagles soar at New College and pirates are on the prowl at Calumet College.
It’s Frosh Week, and starting today and continuing until Sept. 11, first-year students dressed in brightly coloured T-shirts representing York’s nine colleges will wander the Keele and Glendon campuses with their Frosh Bosses. Along the way, they’ll build strong friendships, meet other students in their residences and programs, learn about the University and have fun doing it.
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| Above: McLaughlin College first-years prepare for a water fight with other colleges during Frosh Week 2010 |
Earlier this week, first-year and mature students got a taste of what to expect at York University with academic orientation events that were hosted by each of the colleges. Frosh Week builds on what they learned during academic orientation with a series of social events designed to build bonds both within and across colleges and academic disciplines.
Left: Outdoor parties are an important part of Frosh Week events
Each college council organizes its own events, some separately, others in conjunction with other colleges. Today, across the University, residence students will move into their dorm rooms. They will be helped out by enthusiastic crews of Frosh Bosses, who are specially trained orientation leaders.
Following move-in and getting-to-know-you parties and dinners, the fun begins in earnest. The week is peppered with larger events, such as Frosh Day at the Toronto Blue Jays Game on Sept. 6, which includes first-year students from the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. There’s also a trip to Wasaga Beach, a boat cruise on Lake Ontario, a trip to Niagara Falls and a day at Canada’s Wonderland.
Then there are the smaller events, such as McLaughlin Frosh taking over downtown Toronto, black light parties at Bethune College, cabaret and karaoke evenings, parties and competitions between colleges and between first-year students and upper-year students. All of the events are dry, meaning they are alcohol-free and the emphasis is on safe, enjoyable fun. Residence and commuter students take part in this annual ritual with many students who commute to campus staying the week in specially designated commuter rooms.
Right: Tours of downtown Toronto, including a visit to the MuchMusic studio, will also be part of Frosh Week 2011
Returning for another year is the event “Can I Kiss You”, which takes place Sept. 8 at the Rexall Centre on the Keele campus. Presented by York’s Centre for Human Rights, all of York’s colleges will be attending the presentation, which features dating expert Mike Domitrz giving his energetic take on dating, intimacy and mutual consent.
Students will also be collecting canned food donations in an attempt to raise a ton of food for the North York Harvest Food Bank as part of the Can YU Dig It? food drive (see YFile, Aug. 30). On Labour Day, the colleges will pool their efforts at the York Lions Football Game to see how much food they have raised. During the game, there will be a number of teams of first-year students attempting to break Guinness World Records.
For more information on social and academic orientation at York for students and parents, visit the Student Community & Leadership Development Orientation website.