By Kim Stock
Hordes of frosh students saturated the University of Calgary campus Wednesday as U of C 101 kicked off.
Entering its third year, U of C 101 staff is pleased with how things are running.
"Things are going extremely well," said U of C 101 co-ordinator Amy McEvoy. "One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is the sense of community and spirit that is generated during these three days."
Student response to the orientation has been mixed.
"It makes you feel really welcome," said first-year General Studies student Andrew Newman. "This is better than coming into it blind. It helped with directions, but other than that it’s not too useful."
Jill Eslinger had a different opinion.
"I want to go back to bed!" the first-year General Studies student commented. "[The program] doesn’t need to be three days."
Another first-year General Studies student, Marah Grahm, liked the opportunity to ask Student Leader questions one-on-one.
"It really helps you to get organized before school starts," she said. "It gets you used to getting up early again."
The general consensus was that the community welcome was long-winded.
"It was too long and too boring," said U of C 101 Student Leader Jennifer Thornhill. "There was too much information thrown at [students] at once."
McEvoy recognizes there are improvements that could be made to U of C 101.
"We’re still learning," she said. "This is only the third year, so we’re looking for ways to administer and handle the massive logistics for a program this size more effectively."
At the end of the session, students will be asked to respond to a four page evaluation addressing almost every aspect of U of C 101.
"Student feedback is paramount to how we shape the program and what changes we make in future years," assured McEvoy.
Meanwhile, the U of C 101 Prize Patrol will continue to ambush
frosh around campus with their prizes.
Added incentive to attend the many scheduled sessions include tickets to Flames games, the Masters Event at Spruce Meadows, a $500 gift certificate for Travel Cuts, a $600 mountain bike donated by Ridley’s, residence fees worth between $1700 and $1800 and tuition for five half courses.
U of C 101 will wrap up Friday night with a social event called the Juicy Mixer. Karaoke, a dance at Max, free arcade games, comedians, and movies are lined up. The band 54-40 will top things off by making a guest appearance.
Tickets are five dollars for the Juicy Mixer and $15 for both the mixer and the band, and are available at the Campus Ticket Centre and the Students’ Union.>