Orientation bigger and better than ever

February 09, 2007

The University of New England is preparing to welcome its new students for 2007 in an Orientation program that will, in many respects, be bigger and more varied than ever.

Orientation begins on Monday 12 February with a series of events designed to welcome new students - along with their visiting parents and friends - onto the UNE campus. It continues on Tuesday 13 February with course advice and introductory talks by senior members of the academic staff. "Lifesaver Day", on Wednesday 14 February, is when student and community organisations set up stalls in UNE's Central Courtyard to alert new students to the vast potential for involvement - both on and off campus - in sporting, cultural, and community-oriented activities. The academic program for new students begins on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 February with talks on study methods, campus life, and specific areas of study.

"Orientation is a very important part of the UNE experience," said UNE's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew. During the Orientation period, he said, UNE does all it can to ensure that students' transition to university is "as smooth, happy and exciting as it can be". Professor Pettigrew's address to new students, on the lawns of Booloominbah, will be at 11 am on Monday. It will be followed by an information session for parents and friends.

A free barbecue for new students in the Central Courtyard between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm on Monday is being sponsored by Armidale Dumaresq Council, illustrating the close relationship between the university and the wider Armidale community. The Mayor, Councillor Peter Ducat, will "turn the first sausage".

Tuesday's course-advice session in Lazenby Hall, from 1 pm to 3 pm, will allow students to talk to their course lecturers if they need more information.

On Wednesday, between 10 am and 3 pm, the Central Courtyard will be crowded with a record number of stalls (75 in all) representing a wide range of extra-curricular interests and activities that students can become involved in. A new feature of "Lifesaver Day" this year will be entertainment - including a bucking mechanical bull, jousting, and inflatable sumo suits. A "human chess board" will be in operation, and the Sydney band "Tokenview" will be playing. There will be a free barbecue between 12 noon and 1.30 pm, and a treasure hunt with a "university start-up kit" as the prize.

The Orientation program includes a number of special events for students living in town rather than at the residential colleges. These include a special orientation session between 10 and 11 am on Monday in Lecture Theatre A1 (during which "town students" will receive a useful back-pack containing vouchers for Armidale businesses), and a free pool party at Sport UNE on Tuesday.

Another new feature of Orientation this year will be a series of "Orientation podcasts" allowing students to download - and listen to - introductory talks on courses and services.

Rhonda Leece, UNE's Assistant Director (Student Services), said this year's "Lifesaver Day" would be "bigger and better than ever", and that, as a whole, Orientation 2007 would contain new features that would contribute to the welcoming, stimulating, and supportive atmosphere of the occasion.

Updated information on all Orientation activities will be broadcast each morning between 8 am and 9 am on UNE's student radio station TUNE! FM. For full Orientation details, click on the "2007 Orientation" icon on the UNE Home Page.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at February 9, 2007 06:29 PM