September 3, 2010

Fall Orientation Week gets community focus

A Canadian speed skating icon, a community outreach program and the homecoming game of Canada’s top-ranked university football team are just a few of the things that will be greeting new U of C students next week during the 2010 “Plaid is Rad” Fall Orientation Week.

Olympic medalist Kristina Groves will start the week off with a special address to the Class of 2014 on Tuesday during the Induction Ceremony. Kristina, a U of C Kinesiology graduate, will reflect on her university experience and talk about how it helped prepare her for the Olympics.

Later in the week, students will be encouraged to help build a better community by participating in the Calgary Serves program. New to Fall Orientation Week this year, Calgary Serves will teach students about the issues faced by those less fortunate in the city through volunteering with organizations such as the Calgary Food Bank, the Mustard Seed and the Calgary Drop-In Centre. Students will be participating in community service activities on Friday, September 10. See a complete list of activities.

“Calgary is known for its volunteer spirit and we want to nurture this spirit in our students,” says Ann Tierney, vice-provost (students). “Not only is return to community key to the university mission, it helps to build and develop our students to be leaders in the community.”

Calgary Serves, along with optional day trips to Calgary attractions, will run in addition to favourite Fall Orientation Week activities such as the Presidents’ Barbeque, Campus Carnival, IKEA Madness and KICKOFF, the U of C’s annual tailgate and homecoming football game. The community is invited to come cheer on the U of C Dinos as they take on the University of Regina Rams this year.

The Alumni Association will be sponsoring the annual tailgate barbeque before the game, featuring Spolumbo’s sausages for the first 1,500 fans. They will be collecting ballots from full-time students during the tailgate for a chance to win a semester’s worth of free tuition ($2,500); the winner will be drawn at halftime. Halftime will also feature the Race of the Rexes, where student representatives from each faculty will race the football field in full Rex the Dino regalia. The game will end with fireworks to celebrate the beginning of the new school year and the end of Fall Orientation Week.

For a full list of activities, go to: http://ucalgary.ca/orientation