Move-in day for Laurier University students
Dozens of high-energy “icebreakers” greeted students moving to Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus on the weekend.
Naomi Dunn, a volunteer icebreaker at the Wilkes House residence Sunday, said she vividly remembers her introduction to the campus last fall.
“I was very excited,” said Dunn, a second-year Wilfrid Laurier student from Emo Township (west of Thunder Bay). “I was a little bit nervous but the icebreakers definitely made it better. That’s why I became one this year, they looked like they were having so much fun last year and I thought it would be a good way to meet more people.
“I like screaming (cheering) at the first-years, welcoming them,” she added with a laugh. “This is our first full year, to be in-person with the students, so it’s very exciting for all of us.”
In total, about 400 mostly first-year students stay in residences on campus.
“Icebreakers are volunteers that help run orientation week events for the first years,” said Hao Pan, a fourth-year student from Waterloo, volunteering as an icebreaker at Grand River Hall.
“Most of the students coming today (Sunday), normally, they’ve probably already seen what the building looks like or they kind of know where they’re going. We’re here to guide them into the lane.”
“Families are coming with their first-year students to move in, and our job is to guide them,” nodded Maddox Runstedler, a third-year student from Cambridge, and icebreaker at Grand River Hall. “They’re unpacking all their stuff and then getting all their supplies for orientation week.”
Orientation week events include Shine Day, raising money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada with a car wash, lunch with the mayor, and a carnival.
“And games night…trivia night,” said icebreaker Alexi Froese, a second-year student from Hamilton. “There’s a headphone disco…”
Runstedler nodded in agreement.
“A lot of events because the whole point is to get the first years to know each other and form relationships,” he said. “So going into university they’re not alone.”
Pan said there is also an information fair for the incoming students.
“We let the first years know what is on campus, clubs, what they can get involved with, academic programming sessions – get them used to university life. For a lot of them, this is the first time they are living alone, too.”
Icebreakers know what the newcomers are going through, having experienced it themselves.
“For some people it’s stressful and we want ease them in to this process of living by yourself and going to university, and of these events are helping them do that,” Pan said.
“We want them to meet not only the people in their building, but also meet people in the other buildings, and having big events definitely helps. It helps get them together and talking and of course icebreakers are around to facilitate that.”
