Just as it has been done since 1997, U of C 101 kicked off September 1, and as usual, there were mixed opinions about the program.
“More work can be done to make 101 more social, like the hypnotist on Thursday night,” said Students’ Union Vice-President Events Alex Vyskocil. “In the past, the university gave money to the SU to throw parties, but they don’t do that anymore.”
Vyskocil said his main goal for the program is to teach students about the SU, but he thinks there is too much focus on the academic aspect of U of C and not enough on social events.
Some of the students involved however, didn’t appreciate the social aspect of U of C 101.
“Some parts were informative, but most of it I could have done without,” said first year student Kailee Boyle, who along with many others, came mainly for the campus tour and faculty orientations. “After going on the campus and faculty tours, there wasn’t much else that I wanted to do.”
U of C 101 involves welcomes, campus tours, games and useful tips to make the school year a success for new students. Although it’s mostly directed toward first year students, there is a program for transfer and adult students as well.
“Students who participate in 101 are more likely to have higher GPA’s than students who don’t participate in 101” said U of C 101 coordinator Alyson Woloshyn, who hopes the program will help students academically throughout their university careers. “The goal of the program is not only to get students in the door, but to help them graduate.”
Most students who attended found their first day much easier because they already felt comfortable with the campus.
“[U of C 101] eased me into my first week,” said Jill Rouse, a first year student.
This year, there were about 2000 first year students that attended U of C 101, which is just under two-thirds of all the first year students registered at U of C. The numbers were slightly down from 2003, which Woloshyn attributes to the bad weather and the unfortunate timing before the Labour Day long weekend.