> Record number of new students get oriented at SFU
Record number of new students get oriented at SFU
Contact:
Michelle Demers, (cell) 604.309.6079 (o) 778.782.3728, michelle_demers@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 772.778.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Michelle Demers, (cell) 604.309.6079 (o) 778.782.3728, michelle_demers@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 772.778.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
August 31, 2007
A record number of new students packed Simon Fraser University's Convocation Mall this week to dance, drum and dodge Braveheart warrior look-a-likes during the university’s first-ever sold-out orientation event. And the party isn’t over yet.
Of the 5,169 new students enrolled at SFU this fall, almost 2,500 of them—400 more than last year—filled every available orientation space at SFU’s Burnaby and Surrey campuses in late August. Orientation kicks off the fall term and gives newbies a chance to learn their way around campus, learn tips for academic success, and find mentors in a fun and playful way.
The buzz continues on Monday, Sept. 3, when SFU’s Week of Welcome gets underway at the Burnaby and Surrey campuses.
“If orientation is about saying ‘welcome’ to new students,” says SFU student life coordinator Michelle Demers, “then Week of Welcome is about saying ‘welcome back’ to our returning students. It’s a real carnival-like atmosphere with games, vendors, live media broadcasts, a barbecue and pancake breakfast.”
Demers attributes the unprecedented interest in orientation events and activities to more targeted marketing. “For the first time, our orientation leaders—staff and volunteer senior students—personally called high school graduates in Burnaby and Surrey to invite them to attend,” she says.
“That personal touch had a huge impact. You hear about rock concerts being sold out, not university orientation. We’re going to host mini-orientations during Week of Welcome to accommodate the students who might have missed out.”
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(electronic photos available on request; broadcast quality high definition video footage available at http://lidc-imagelib.lidc.sfu.ca:16080/XRAID/Joel/SFU%20Orientation/)
Of the 5,169 new students enrolled at SFU this fall, almost 2,500 of them—400 more than last year—filled every available orientation space at SFU’s Burnaby and Surrey campuses in late August. Orientation kicks off the fall term and gives newbies a chance to learn their way around campus, learn tips for academic success, and find mentors in a fun and playful way.
The buzz continues on Monday, Sept. 3, when SFU’s Week of Welcome gets underway at the Burnaby and Surrey campuses.
“If orientation is about saying ‘welcome’ to new students,” says SFU student life coordinator Michelle Demers, “then Week of Welcome is about saying ‘welcome back’ to our returning students. It’s a real carnival-like atmosphere with games, vendors, live media broadcasts, a barbecue and pancake breakfast.”
Demers attributes the unprecedented interest in orientation events and activities to more targeted marketing. “For the first time, our orientation leaders—staff and volunteer senior students—personally called high school graduates in Burnaby and Surrey to invite them to attend,” she says.
“That personal touch had a huge impact. You hear about rock concerts being sold out, not university orientation. We’re going to host mini-orientations during Week of Welcome to accommodate the students who might have missed out.”
— 30 —
(electronic photos available on request; broadcast quality high definition video footage available at http://lidc-imagelib.lidc.sfu.ca:16080/XRAID/Joel/SFU%20Orientation/)