The orientation week makeover initiated by McGill in the fall of 2011 continued this year, with increased integration of Discover McGill, faculty frosh and events organized by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). Orientation week also featured a new component of non-alcoholic activities organized by student-run clubs and McGill services, called À la carte activities.  The modifications aimed to make all events and activities more inclusive, sustainable, and community-oriented.

One major change was the integration of SSMU-organized events with faculty-organized events, and the absence of a separate SSMU frosh. According to SSMU President Josh Redel, SSMU frosh had been marked in previous years by poor attendance and unpopularity among first-year students.

“[This year] we were working toward an integrative model, and in terms of that, SSMU frosh didn’t necessarily make sense,” Redel said.

SSMU took care of organizing the opening night concert, Beach Day, the all-ages components, and an additional day of frosh. The faculty associations were then responsible for organizing their faculty-specific events.

Several working groups and a 50-member Orientation Planning Group (OPG) were established to help organize orientation week. The working groups were composed of student leaders from SSMU and faculty associations, as well as staff members from McGill Student Services and the First-Year Office. The OPG also included advisors from McGill administration, Ancillary Services, and residences.

“The groups were a combination of students who [were] the primary stakeholders in the events,” Student Life Coordinator Mitchell Miller said. “The administration [was involved] for sustainability reasons.… [Administrators] have been here for several years and have seen successes and weaknesses that they can talk about.”

One of the more noticeable additions to orientation week were À la carte events. These events – which included workshops, activities, and tours hosted by different clubs and university-run services – were created to complement frosh and to cater to the varied interests and backgrounds of incoming students.

“[The À la carte events] were designed to … first, keep students busy during their first week, and to diversify the huge Discover McGill component,” Redel said.

“They also provided alternatives for students who didn’t want to do frosh, but don’t want to be deprived of an orientation experience,” AUS Vice-President Events Josh Greenberg said.

In past years, frosh had been criticized by students for lacking non-alcoholic events for underage first-years or those who did not wish to drink. The new À la carte component helped solve this issue, as none of the events involved alcohol.

Beyond the À la carte section, SSMU and faculty associations also strove to organize more all-ages, night-time events than were offered in previous years, such as the toga party at the SSMU ballroom.

“Many of the faculty frosh committees joined forces in order to accommodate everyone’s underage students … creating a neat opportunity for students to connect with other faculties,” Greenberg said.

Despite positive reception to structural changes, not all elements of frosh were seamless.

“I waited 7.5 hours on Beach Day … for a bus,” Josh Thon, U0 engineering student, said. “I think [transportation] could’ve been better organized.”

This year also witnessed a sharp increase in the price of frosh admission, with faculties charging over $100 per person, in comparison to approximately $70 in past years. Despite the price increase, many students thought that the events were worth the expense.

“For a little over $25 a day, the kind of activities we did and the kind of fun we had was definitely worth it,” Thon said.

Overall, both orientation organizers and first-year students expressed satisfaction with the results and their experience throughout the week.

“I know a lot more people here now,” Emma Hart, U0 music student, said. “I’m really comfortable walking around campus and [enjoy] recognizing several people along the way.”

“[Orientation week] certainly wasn’t perfect,” Redel said. “However, this year was a really big step forward [regarding] all of McGill working together towards a [successful] orientation.”