An “Ask Me” button identifies its wearer as someone willing to give direction to campus visitors for Head Start.
Organizers of Head Start, the orientation program for students entering the University in September, are excited about several enhancements to its agenda this year.
Sessions will run May 26, 27 and 29, June 3 and 5, July 28 and 29, and August 12. Every date is open to all students in any major, and will include a presentation especially for transfer, part-time and mature students.
Amber Norman, student development specialist in the Student Success Centre, is looking forward to having newcomers hear from current students.
“These student leaders will discuss the transition to University life, financial planning, and career services,” she says. “I think these mentor relationships will help to build strong ties with our incoming first-year students.”
Faculty will also have the opportunity to connect with new students. Each day, a different faculty member will present on what it takes to be successful at university. A complimentary lunch is a further chance for informal interactions, and students may take advantage of an instructor drop-in hour from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
A time-tabling tips session each afternoon will train students to register for their courses; it replaces program-specific instruction previously provided.
Check-in, a general welcome and programming for parents will run in the Toldo Health Education Centre. Other activities are set for the CAW Student Centre. Tours have been extended to encompass a wider area of the campus, including a stop at the athletics and recreation facilities on south campus.
Attendees can register using the new “University of Windsor Guides” mobile application, available for download to iPhone or any Android device from uwindsor.ca/headstart.
Buttons aid visitors in identifying eager helpers
The Student Success Centre invites all UWindsor staff and faculty to wear “Ask Me” buttons for the period of Head Start, making it easier for campus visitors to identify people who can provide them with a welcoming smile, directions or basic information.
“Ask Me” buttons are white and sport the university’s official logo. To get yours, contact Shelby Marchand in the Student Success Centre at shelby@uwindsor.ca. She asks that wherever possible, departments coordinate their requests so that all of the buttons can be sent to one contact person for distribution.