Orientation Week 2012
Orientation Week is a week full of fun and learning. Every year, the whole week before lectures start is dedicated to new students. Known as the 'freshers', all first year students learn their way around College and the University. Everyone at UNE and at College is very welcoming and understanding of homesickness and nervousness on the freshers' part. There are UNE tours, Welcome BBQs, show bags, scavenger hunts, games and functions to help welcome the new students. O'Week is also a great time to meet new people, senior students, lecturers and staff, and to make wonderful new friendships!
2012 O'Week programme
Freshers Arrive (Sunday 12th February) – The Welcoming O'Week Committee are dressed in their bright shirts and ready to greet the new students. Students get their College shirts, name tags and room numbers. The O'Week committee help the students to unpack and settle in. Today is the day that the Freshers start their new life at their new home! Get ready to make a whole new bunch of friends and have an amazing time!
Progressive Dinner – A semi-formal dining experience where, after each course your get up and move seats (eg, 10 seats to the right). This enables you to get to know loads of people and have fun while you do it! There is an after function held in the Junior Common Room (which is transformed into a dance floor) and the Brick courtyard.
Pub night – A night spent at our sponsor pub – The Imperial Hotel (Impies), with many games and fun activities arranged! For under 18’s now, don’t think you’ve been forgotten, we have planned ten pin bowling for you, see if you can beat the O’week Committee members. You do not have to be under 18 to attend; anyone can challenge the O’week committee if they do not wish to go to the pub.
Academic Activities - Throughout O'Week, freshers meet Academic staff, do tours of their facilities and go to introductory and informative lectures. They figure out where their lectures and tutorials will be held, buy textbooks and organise timetables. All staff and senior students are at hand to help with any questions about classes, courses, lectures, facilities and more.
Scavenger Hunt – First years are separated into groups and are given a list of things to find, or information to find out, for example ‘get one withdrawal slip from each bank’ or ‘how many aisles at Coles Supermarket’. This is great as you get to know people in your group and it is designed to get everyone familiar with Armidale. Bring along a few dollars to catch buses into town and back again.
Theme Night – A night full of weird and wacky occupations as Duval college holds ‘If I didn’t get the UAI I Dreamed Of!’ theme night. Here, returning students join new Duvalians by getting dressed up in costumes. You’ll be amazed by what some people come up with. Start thinking of what you might come dressed up as… maybe an occupation which you always dreamed of being as a child.
Slave Auction – Here, first year students are put into groups and are auctioned off to the rest of the college for a few hours. This is a great way to get to know the returning students and is more fun than you might think. It is also one of our major fundraisers for the year and the proceeds go to our sponsor child Manko, from Somalia.
Swimming Carnival / Fun Swim – An inter-college sport that focuses on mass participation. Students can participate in separate events (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) or simply in the mass participation events, which require you to get in one end of the pool and simply make it to the other end, by any means possible! It is lots of fun when everyone gets in and has a go.
“Staying at Duval College has been the best time of my life. From the great academic support, to the functions and the various sporting opportunities the college offers, it will certainly be a time I won’t forget! Wooooooop Duval!”
- Shayne Sable, first year Livestock Science student and loyal Duvalian 2008