Student Life 101 - August 2009 by Kris Olafson

Student Life

101

AUGUST 2009 | Volume 24

Your Residence Questions Answered! p. 8

33More days until

Orientation Advice to Incoming Students p. 4

p.5

Student Life

101

AUGUST 2009 | Volume 24

Calendar August & September | 3

Events Homecoming 2009 | 7 Ontario Universitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fair | 7

Features Answers to Questions You May Have About Residence | 8

Archives 2006 Oct | Nov | Dec 2007 Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec

Cropped photo by Jamie Self.

2008 Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec 2009 Jan | FEB | MArCH | April | May | JUNE

| Student life 101 | August 2009

cale n d ar

August 3 14

Orientation Week begins Orientation Week 2009 will be held on Monday September 7 until Saturday September 12. It features a unique series of events that will introduce you to your faculty, people in your program and your new university life. With the help of over 1000 upper–year student volunteers, your transition will be informative, fun, and definitely unforgettable.

Civic Holiday

Orientation Opt-out Date Visit the Orientation website - www. orientation.uwaterloo.ca - select “New Students” and enter the registration site. You may choose to opt-in or optout of orientation.

www.orientation.uwaterloo.ca Move-in Day 2

If you do not indicate that you are opting out, you will remain registered for orientation.

Student Fees for the Fall 2009 term are due. For full fee payment instructions visit http://finance.uwaterloo.ca and click “Student fees” on the left side.

This is the move-in date for: > Students living in the East or West Quad of Ron Eydt Village or Village 1 > Students living on even numbered of UW Place >Students living in the West Wing of Mackenzie King Village > Students living in Columbia Lake Village

14 25

Move-in Day 1 This is the move-in date for: > Students living in the North or South Quad of Ron Eydt Village or Village 1 > Students living on odd numbered of UW Place > Students living in the East Wing of Mackenzie King Village

Lectures Begin

Warrior Weekends September 25-26, 2009 Warrior Weekends is a studentrun event which provides a diverse assortment of activities to all students in an effort to increase student night life at UW! Most events take place in the SLC. Event information can be found at www.warriorweekends. uwaterloo.ca.

September 6

Labour Day

Open Enrollment Ends

Homecoming 2009 Warrior Weekends

August 2009 | student life 101 |

He adl i n es

From Your Student Life 101 Directors Student Life 101 was a huge success this year. Over 6500 visitors came to the University on Saturday July 25th - the biggest number we have seen yet! It was great to meet much of the incoming class of Waterloo students and answer all those last minute questions about Orientation Week and first-year experience. We hope that Student Life 101 helped ease the stress of coming to UW. Best of luck, and we’ll see you in September!

Advice to Incoming Students

JumpStart Friday: An Orientation Event Worried about what is actually going on in classes? Well, JumpStart Friday is the event that will provide you with the information and resources necessary to make the transition into University academic life as smooth as possible. On this day, you will be exposed to a real university lecture given by one of our most engaging and interesting professors at UW. The cool thing about these lectures is that a prof from the faculty of your choice will give you the 4-1-1 on how to take proper notes and effectively communicate with your own profs! Is money management stressing you out? Have you even thought about it? Well, come be a part of James Cunningham’s amazing presentation about money management. James will give a dynamic,

interactive and entertaining program developed to teach students the fundamentals of personal financial management and in a very hilarious fashion. Furthermore, we have more to offer beyond the the lecture and the money management session. There are 13 other sessions that will be run by various members of the UW community who represent different areas on campus. Most of these will run three times a day to ensure you can get all the information you need to Jumpstart your success! Some of these sessions include Coping with Co-op, and To Cheat or Not to Cheat. Keep checking the orientation website - www.orientation.uwaterloo.ca - for all the information regarding JumpStart Friday!

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Leave time during the summer to be with friends—especially those you will not see often after September comes. Bring part of home with you— pictures of friends and family, yearbook, posters, etc. Get to know the physical environment of campus and the campus services available to you. Remember that being independent doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. Seek help when you need it. Make time in your schedule for exercise, sleep, “sit-down” meals and, perhaps, involvement in a campus activity.

Orientation Week 2009 is just 33 days away! It is a week packed with opportunities for you to meet other people in your program and your communities, and build relationships that will support you throughout your time here at UW. Be sure to confirm your attendance at: www.orientation.uwaterloo.ca. Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done that, you can breathe easy, and look forward to a life-changing experience. The cross campus events listed below are just some you can to look forward to.

and dancing. We have several other events going on simultaneously which include live entertainment, a photo-themed room, and more.

One highlight of orientation week is our annual Monte Carlo night. Prepare to get dressed in your finest and come out to our mock casino complete with gaming, mocktails

Next, show your UW pride at Black and Gold Day! Join your fellow Warriors as we cheer on our Waterloo Warriors football team which will be up against the Ottawa Gee Gees. Make sure to wear black and gold to the game!

Finally, attend a legendary Saturday night event. Come out and experience comedians and a magician at Saturday Night Live, video gaming, a giant outdoor toga party and new for 2008, the Cross-Campus Night Walk! We hope that you enjoy Orientation Week and this experience would be your valuable memory at UW. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see you in September!

August 2009 | student life 101 |

NOTICE: Error in Handbook Dear First-year student, Earlier this month, we sent you a copy of the Student Life 101 Handbook. I am writing to inform you of a very important correction. On page 88 of the Student Life 101 Handbook it lists that Fall 2009 Exams end on December 17, 2009. This is not the accurate date. Please note the following correction. In Fall 2009 exams end on December 22, 2009. Thank you for making note of this correction. These handbooks are an important resource for you as you progress through your studies at the University of Waterloo. Please continue to refer to the guide when looking for assistance, and do not hesitate contact the Student Life Office with any of your questions. Yours truly, Johnny David Trinh Student Life Coordinator: Communications & Special Projects 519-888-4567 ext. 36993 studentlife@uwaterloo.ca

Accounting Orientation Week If you’re in AFM, Math/CA, CFM or Biotech/CA, we cordially invite you to Accounting Orientation Week. This is an amazing opportunity to meet fellow students in your program! Accounting Orientation is a week catered specifically towards Accounting and Finance students and takes place Sunday, September 13th to Thursday, September 17th. We have an exciting week planned including meeting your professors, connecting with upper years, networking with alumni and ending the week off with a dinner and dance semi formal. Our theme this year is “Mission Accountable”, a spy theme with team names such as James Bond, Men in Black and Charlie’s Angels. We want to show that accountants are more than just number crunch-

ers. Spies use special skills and knowledge to accomplish their mission and it is our hope that you will come out of the week equipped to take on your university career. Do you have what it takes to pass our series of events? We challenge you to come out and see what Accounting Orientation is all about. Check out http://aoc.uwaterloo. ca for more information about registering, leaders, teams and the events!

BookLook BookLook can help you find course materials for on campus and distance education courses. You can search for course material by course code, title, keyword, author, or ISBN number.

Some of your leaders at a Leader’s Retreat

| Student life 101 | August 2009

Booklook: www.bookstore. uwaterloo.ca/booklook.html.

Homecoming 2009

E VENTS

Saturday September 26, 2009

The count down has begun! On September 26th, come out with your friends to this year’s exciting Homecoming. There will be a wide range of activities to keep you entertained… > Cheer on the UW Warriors as they compete with the Windsor Lancers > Hear alumnus Chamath Palihapityiya (BASc’99) chat about his experience at Facebook as the Vice President of User Growth, Mobile and International Expansion.

Come make some memories ...at Homecoming 2009! Celebrate the kaleidoscope of experiences that are Waterloo – from the flavours of the East Asian Festival to the rhythms of Pow Wow. Cheer on our Warriors football team as they take on the Windsor Lancers. Hear UW grad and Facebook VP Chamath Palihapitiya (BASc ‘99) speak, and much, much more…

> Support fellow student groups as they entertain family carnival participants through music and dance performances.

Interested in volunteering? Email homecoming@alumni.uwaterloo.ca

> Take a challenge – submit a video corresponding to what your Waterloo means to you by entering our “Show us your Waterloo!”contest and you could win $250!

There’s no place like Homecoming.

homecoming.uwaterloo.ca Saturday, September 26, 2009

Visit www.homecoming.uwaterloo. ca for contest and event details. Contest closes August 14th, 2009. Email homecoming@uwaterloo.ca for entry or participation questions.

Ontario Universities’ Fair The Ontario Universities Fair is held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Fair gives prospective students the opportunity to research all Ontario universities. Staff and students from

UW will be there to answer your questions so don’t miss it. This year’s event will be held from September 25-27, 2009. www.ouf.ca

Want to have fun and gain great event experience? Volunteer with the Homecoming team in making this exciting day possible. If you’re a reliable, friendly person that loves working on a team, please click here to learn about how to volunteer.

August 2009 | student life 101 |

Featur e

Answers to Questions You May Have About Residence What should I pack? We have complete lists of items you might want to bring for suitestyle and traditional-style residences. When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re deciding what to pack, consider the type of the room you were assigned. Visit www.housing.uwaterloo. ca/general-info/moving-in.html and scroll down to the bottom to find a complete list of what you should bring to residence. This page also has information about your movein date.

Where can I spend my meal plan allowance? There are many Food Services outlets across campus where your meal plan dollars can be spent. Please see the map on the Food Services website for details. Your meal plan also includes flex dollars, which can be spent at a variety of other locations. Look at the watcard map to find out the locations you may spend your flex dollars on and off campus. What if I have special dietary needs (due to allergies or reli-

| Student life 101 | August 2009

gious restrictions)? Does this mean I will be placed in a suitestyle room? Due to the diverse student body of UW Residences, we are unable to accommodate residence requests for religious reasons. Most of our residences have access to a bathtub at any hour of the day, and our cafeterias can accommodate a restricted diet for religious reasons. Find more information by visiting www.housing.uwaterloo.ca/meal_

plans and clicking “Dietary Needs and Nutrition”. What’s a Don? A Don is an upper-year student who lives and works in a specific residence area, providing leadership to approximately 50 students. He or she helps everyone to get acquainted, plans activities, assists with problems and upholds policies and rules. All of our Dons are first-aid certified and go through intensive training in order to create a safe and comfortable community. They are familiar with the campus and have a passion for the residence experience. What kinds of activities or socials go on in residence? A Don is an upper-year student who lives and works in a specific

residence area, providing leadership to approximately 50 students. He or she helps everyone to get acquainted, plans activities, assists with problems and upholds policies and rules. All of our Dons are first-aid certified and go through intensive training in order to create a safe and comfortable community. They are familiar with the campus and have a passion for the residence experience.

Are there any part time jobs in residence? Yes. We hire students as Residence Computer Consultants (100 in total), Front Desk assistants, Promo Team, and tour guides. If you’re interested, you should check out our Jobs and Leadership section. Food Services hires students to work in their eateries across campus.

What kind of housecleaning is required and/or provided? Housekeeping of all common residence areas is provided in all residences on a regular basis. Students are expected to maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness in their rooms and in the common areas of residence. Monthly cleaning inspections by UW staff take place in all suite-style residences.

August 2009 | student life 101 |