Lauren Root – Features Editor 

The start of the new winter semester brought a new group of students to campus, all eagerly looking forward to starting their Bishop’s journey! The Bishop’s administration and the BUSRC run many programs to help new students adjust to the unfamiliar environment, and also to help returning students who are needing extra support or looking to develop new habits. 

Image courtesy of Serena Couturier

I spoke with Serena Couturier, the Transition and Retention Advisor, working under Student Services and Student Affairs. She works on helping all students transition to university life better, with emphasis on first year and non-traditional (mature or first-generation) students. Serena is available to meet with students 1:1 to help their transition, and also works on revamping orientation and increasing student’s access to information about resources. If students have questions on how to integrate, make new friends, or who are looking to see a counsellor, Serena is the first line resource. Serena’s most recent orientation project was the 2026 Resource Fair on Jan. 12. 

At this event, there was representation from academic advisors (with information on how to book meetings), BUnited, CATS, SAAS, Counselling, the library, the writing center, student success (SRC), BU international, Indigenous student services and Residence life. 

The issue that arose at this event was that there were only 5 students in attendance, marking the lowest turn out in Resource Fair participation ever. The lack of turnout has created the desire for change, looking for new ways to raise awareness to the resources available to students.  

Low participation is a regular concern when organizing winter orientation. As Serena mentioned, the majority of students starting in the winter semester are international students or exchange students, who receive their own orientation from Bishop’s International. That leaves a small percentage of Canadian students who start in January, who would benefit from additional help but are not always aware of the resources available to them upon arrival. 

The Resource Fair is open to all students on campus, regardless of what year they are in, or if they are a domestic or international student. Even later year students are able to take advantage of the Resource Fair, as it’s never too late to start new habits and start taking advantage of the resources around you. 

While there was advertisement for the Resource Fair, Student Services finds that it is difficult to increase engagement with the advertisements. Reaching students in December about upcoming events in January has been notoriously difficult, since exams take priority and focus, and afterwards, students look forward to the break instead of the start of the new semester. And, the first week of classes in January is very quiet, which is usually when the winter orientation and Resource Fair happen. So, Student Services is putting out a call for feedback. Serena is hoping to discover how to increase the engagement and interaction between students and the resources available to them. The resources available to students at the Resource Fair are critical, and now comes the time to discover how to publicize this information. This is your sign to keep an eye out for the resources available to you as a student, and if you have any ideas on how to improve engagement with Student Services and their resources, contact Serena at scouturi@UBishops.ca.