With the start of classes stalled by a faculty lockout, Dalhousie University’s orientation week has taken on new urgency for first-year students searching for community.
The transition from high school to university is often daunting, but this fall’s lockout has disrupted not only academics but also the way new Dalhousie students build connections.
Ruby Williams, a first-year English student from Toronto, says the lockout has made it harder to settle in.
“The lockout has made it sort of hard to meet people, especially because my residence is not very sociable,” he says. “I was like, once classes start, that’s when I’ll get to know people and make friends. But that’s been put off, so it’s been a bit of a hindrance to that plan.”
Orientation week, which began two days after students moved into residence, featured dozens of events across campus, including scavenger hunts, welcome fairs, DalFest and outdoor movie nights.
William Jones, Dalhousie Student Union vice president of finance and operations, urged students to be patient as they navigate the disruption.
“My advice to them would be to keep showing up. It’s a process,” he says. “A lot of those connections are formed in class, but a lot of them are also formed through clubs, residences, etc.”
At first, Williams skipped many orientation activities “just sort of out of nerves.”
Still, he pushed himself to attend at least one event each day.
“I think there’s sort of an inevitable awkwardness that comes with meeting new people, especially when you don’t have that sort of common ground like, ‘What classes do you have?’ or ‘How are you liking school?’” says Williams.
Orientation week helped fill that gap, offering events and activities that gave students an opportunity to meet their peers outside of the classroom.
“It can’t be stated enough how difficult a transition it can be, especially for out-of-province, out-of-town and international students,” Jones says. “To not have the structure of classes, that’s super tough. Hopefully, they found some structure in orientation week.
“My heart goes out to them. It’s really a shit way to start your year, there’s no other way to say it.”
For Williams, orientation week offered at least one way to explore campus, even if friendships came slowly.
“It was fun to go to those things, see the campus and get to know what it would be like, but it was definitely overwhelming,” he says. “I didn’t really meet people at the events. Everyone was there doing the activity, but not really socializing.”
First-year psychology student Julia Tontodonati says she’s staying optimistic while trying to build relationships during orientation week.
“I was using it as a way to just meet and connect with a bunch of people,” she says..
Tontodonati knew only one other person when she arrived in Halifax, but she says orientation week gave her a chance to start fresh.
“For the first day, I didn’t have real concerns because I like meeting people,” she says. “I found it very exciting and was looking forward to meeting everyone. I was connecting with a lot of people, which was fun.”
While Tontodonati has built some connections, she says it’s still been a challenge without class.
“I don’t feel a sense of community yet. I’m wandering around doing my own thing. I want the feeling of going to classes.”
