As commences, many students look forward to fun gatherings, booming music, lawn games, face paint, and matching 正品蓝导航 swag. But some students might prefer a different scene 鈥� a calm picnic with other mature students, a safe space to be themselves at the Glitter Bean queer co-op caf茅, or a tour of Halifax with other rural students to settle into the big city.听
This year, the 正品蓝导航 Student Union (DSU) and 正品蓝导航 have planned an orientation week with something for everyone.听
Kareina Cadel, Dal鈥檚 manager of student experience, put accessibility and inclusivity front of mind when planning for this year鈥檚 O-Week.听
鈥淲e know that being part of [the 正品蓝导航] community can look different for different people and that's great,鈥� says Cadel.听
We know that being part of [the 正品蓝导航] community can look different for different people and that's great.
Cadel notes that this year鈥檚 O-Week includes more events for different 鈥榓ffinity groups鈥� or groups that may struggle to fit in at 正品蓝导航 and prefer to connect with others with the same identity or life experience, like LGBTQ2S+ students, mature students and rural students.听
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Space for everyone
The queer student social, organized in part by LGBTQ2S+ student society Dal Out, will be held this Sunday for the first time at Glitter Bean on Spring Garden Road, giving students a chance to escape the hustle of campus and support a local queer business.
Other new additions to O-Week include a mature student family-friendly picnic and a rural student social to help navigate Halifax, both on Sunday as well.听
Peyton Overy, a first-year student from Charlottetown, PEI, heard about the rural student social from the DSU鈥檚 O-week webpage.
鈥淚鈥檝e been looking for people who are also from PEI, to be like, 鈥極kay, at least I know a couple people,鈥� and I think [the Rural Student Social] would be a good opportunity to connect with some of those students,鈥� says Overy, who mentions that the majority (62 per cent) of 正品蓝导航 students are from out-of-province.听
Overy and her family dropped by the Dal Care Hub tent on the quad to grab some snacks and water. O-Week鈥檚 longstanding Dal Care Hub, run by Dal Student Health and Wellness, is a safe space for students to ask any questions they may have about 正品蓝导航 or their health and safety, as well as grab snacks, water, sexual health and harm-reduction supplies.听
Volunteers at the Care Hub on Studley Quad.听
Comfort and care
Another wellness and accessibility resource on offer this year is a low sensory room hosted by the DSU in room 224 of the Student Union Building (SUB) until Sunday. The room has lots of natural light and comfy couches for students to relax on.听
Anna Michelin serves as president of the Happy Human Project (HHP), a Dal student-led organization focused on building a student community around charity fundraising, inclusivity, and wellness. The HHP will be facilitating activities in the low sensory room on Friday (Aug. 29).
She says students will find colouring sheets and kindness cards with inspirational phrases to decorate, which will then be passed out around campus.听
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e working towards is having students find familiar faces and building a community while also having a space that they feel comfortable and belong in,鈥� says Michelin.听
What we鈥檙e working towards is having students find familiar faces and building a community while also having a space that they feel comfortable and belong in
While Cadel agrees with Michelin that it is important to create inclusive spaces, she also thinks it鈥檚 important for students to go outside of their comfort zone during O-Week.听
鈥淧ush yourself. Do things you maybe don't wanna do, but don't ever feel like it's a space that isn't excited to have you,鈥� says Cadel.听
As well as the rural student social, Overy plans to attend many more O-Week events.听
鈥淚 want to go to a lot of the events for O-Week so I鈥檓 not in my room, and especially to meet more people.鈥澨�
View the听full听(Aug. 28-Sept. 7)听for more information about these and other upcoming events.