WATERLOO, Ont. (Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012) - The University of Waterloo and the Federation of Students will welcome 6,500 students for Orientation Week, beginning on September 3. There are a number of activities to help students to transition into life at Waterloo.

Orientation Week introduces students to academic, social and community life at Waterloo. The week starts with the Residence Move-in Engagement Project first thing Monday morning. Some members of senior administration, deans, faculty and orientation leaders will help students move their boxes into their residence rooms. There is additional programming for students living off-campus, international students and students at our nearby satellite campuses in Cambridge and Stratford.

“Orientation Week fosters pride and helps our newest students to connect to the campus,” said Chris Read, associate provost, students at Waterloo. “We’re aware that this is a transition for parents as well. We hold Waterloo Parent Orientation sessions to help them learn about life at Waterloo.”

For students, the program called FYE: Waterloo, held on Friday, introduces them to key areas of transition such as academic success, financial management, health and mental wellness, and social and community involvement. The day kicks off with a pinning ceremony where students receive their Waterloo “W” pin, and receive a welcome from Read and Andrew Noble, president of the Federation of Students.

“We make sure that there is something for everyone to help students connect to other students,” said Noble. “For example, our Saturday night events include a toga party, a coffee house talent show, video games and a live comedy event.”

New this year is the Family Send-Off, a casual reception on Monday afternoon. Faculty and staff will welcome all students and their families to the Waterloo community. The rest of the week balances all aspects of student life and is as varied as the students themselves.

The Federation of Students and the Student Success Office partner with the faculties, housing and residence, and the federated university and affiliated colleges to organize Orientation Week. It also involves more than 1,000 upper-year student volunteers.

About the University of Waterloo 

In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 34,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, please visit uwaterloo.ca.

About the Federation of Students

The University of Waterloo's Federation of Students exists to serve, empower and represent the 26,000 undergraduate students of the university. Feds is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association and is charged with running the organization in compliance with Feds policies, procedures, and bylaws. Additional information can be found at www.feds.ca.

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