On Sunday, Sept. 4, Bishop’s University began hosting its annual Orientation Week for incoming students. The focused goal of O-Week is to welcome new students into a community that creates long-lasting memories and friendships by offering fun-filled activities to bond over. A few of the many activities included team bonding exercises, carnival games, a movie night, and challenges created by judges. 

Challenges given by judges to participants can be messy but are described as harmless fun by the group leaders and staff organizing the event. The goal of completing challenges is to obtain as many points as possible for your team to win O-Week in the friendly competition against other teams. In addition to the great number of activities, there is also entertainment to partake in via live bands or DJs. When Shrapnel, the entertaining live rock band was asked about their performance on Tuesday night in the Quad, they collectively replied that “punk rock is a high energy vibe that really gets the party going and combined with the crowd pleasers is what makes it a great show.” Shrapnel is amongst many O-Week participants who have also complimented the hard work and planning that Hannah McQueen – the SRC director of events – has put in by directing and organizing the week which has surpassed the expectations of leaders, O-Week participants, and staff.

Both the challenges and activities during O-Week have taken place under necessary safety precautions to ensure that everyone can participate without worry of injury or harm, thanks to the active bystander training and the “Can I Kiss You” presentation with Mike Domitrz, also known as Mike Respects, a professional speaker who advocates for a culture of mutual respect in his mission to diminish sexual assault. On top of the training for incoming students, it has also been mentioned by campus security that the crowd has been very respectful and there have been no problems to report.

        All in all, O-Week has presented incoming students with a warm welcome in the mission to invite new students to come together and build on Bishop’s University’s existing community of fun, active, and enthusiastic students. O-Week participant Alexandre Mador, when asked about his experience with O-Week, expressed: “O-Week only happens once which is why I try to attend every event and do as many challenges as possible. One of my best memories from the challenges of O-Week was pushing my limits as an introvert to get out of my shell and meet new people through the events.” When Mador considered the fun and excitement he had throughout the week he also commented: “All new students should consider trying O-Week and to do as many activities as possible and shouldn’t worry about the peer pressure of drinking. There were really fun nights where I wasn’t drinking, but just because of the activities and people that were around me I was having a great time.”

“Yes, I would recommend O-Week to any new student” -Alexandre Mador