New Neighbours, Classmates, and Friends at Grebel
A sunny Labour Day weekend saw students new and old moving into Conrad Grebel University College for another year of learning and growing together. There was no shortage of returning students to welcome first-year residents and lend a helping hand moving belongings into dorm rooms.
"This is my favourite time of year at Grebel,” said President Marcus Shantz. “It's great to meet new students and their families, welcome back returning students, and to see them all start to make the connections that will lead to lifelong friendships." Students foster relationships at Grebel both in residence and while participating in academic programs.
Among upper-year students, Move-In Day is highly anticipated because it is an opportunity to provide new residents with the positive experiences they received when they first came to Grebel. Thao My Vu, fifth year Grebel student and the 2025-2026 Student Council President shared, “My hope is that everyone living at Grebel feels welcomed and included at this place I've come to call home.” Grebel residents support each other both academically and socially, whether through passing down textbooks or running board game nights in the dining room.
Students from every faculty live at Grebel, this year with 27% in Arts, 23% in Science, and an even mix of students in Engineering, Math, Environment, and Health. 93 new students joined Grebel’s residence program on and off campus this year, and 122 upper-year students returned for another year. A strong upper-year presence at Grebel means that there are student leaders to create a welcoming environment for residents by hosting events and passing on Grebel traditions.
This year, 22% of residents come from a Mennonite background, and 53% identify with other Christian traditions. 23% of Grebel students have other faith affiliations or no faith affiliations. Most students come from across Ontario, but 16 come from other Canadian provinces and an additional 17 come from countries that include the United States, China, Dubai, Somalia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.
“In a residence as diverse as Grebel, it's important to listen to the stories of our physical neighbours here at Grebel and continually challenge each other to stretch our understanding of who our neighbours are in the world outside,” said Jessie Reesor Rempel, Director of Student Services. “It’s been inspiring to sit down at lunch tables with students who take the counter-cultural step of putting down their phones to be present with their neighbours over a meal.” Grebel’s culture encourages both students and staff to fill the table wherever there is an empty seat, which often results in meaningful conversations.
“The start of each academic year is a fresh opportunity for curiosity and discovery. At Grebel, we’re devoted to teaching and learning in community, and it’s energizing to feel the excitement of new and returning students,” said Dean Troy Osborne. “With a large graduate student cohort and strong undergraduate enrollments, our faculty are already inspired by the interactions in the classroom, conversations in the halls, and the music drifting across campus. I’ve appreciated meeting our incoming students and hearing their hopes for what university might bring.”
The Master of Theological Studies program welcomed 18 new students this year—a larger incoming class compared to previous years. Of the 42 students now in the MTS program, three are pastors for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, and seven others have connections to MCEC. The Master of Peace and Conflict Studies program welcomed 16 new students for a total of 32 students in the program.
Undergraduate students study in a range of disciplines at Grebel including Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, History, Mennonite Studies, and Religion, Culture, and Spirituality. Provisional numbers for undergraduate course enrollment this year is 1486, an increase from last year. Grebel also offers music ensembles for students in any faculty which can be taken for credit or as extracurriculars.
The theme of Grebel’s Opening Celebration and Chapel this year was “who is my neighbour?” and emphasized that neighbours are more than the people who live next door but include everyone we meet. For the annual Act of Community, Chaplain Carol Penner led an activity where residents, students, staff, and faculty wrote hopeful and encouraging messages for anyone walking the paths to and from Grebel prior to the first day of classes. The most popular sentiments were “you got this!” and “remember to breathe,” while another person wrote “we are not strangers.”
By Allie Boyd
