Have you guys heard about that crazy little thing called
Welcome Week?! Ridiculously fun. Meeting all the other people in your building (and other buildings), going completely insane from all the spirit, cheering on everyone and
every thing... wicked awesome. Were you shy in high school? Yeah.. I kinda was. Rest assured, that’s
not going to be the case anymore! The spirit of Welcome Week is contagious, and once you start cheering, you just can’t stop!
Some fabulous events included MAC Connector, Airbands, Football game, IRC Karaoke Night, the Football Game, IRC Bed Racers, Clubfest, Faculty Day, the concert in Faculty Hollow, IRC Capture the Flag, Faculty Night, Shinerama... and trust me, after all that cheering your voice will most definitely be gone. If, by some strange miracle, you still have your voice at the end of the week, go back for the Welcome Week the year after and this time
SCREAM LOUDER.
Because rule number one for Welcome Week is this:
by the end of it, you MUST LOSE YOUR VOICE.
So I had an
AMAZING time during Welcome Week. Words cannot describe how much fun it is, (and I can’t make the font size of the word ‘amazing’ big enough) so you will just have to experience it for yourself! My voice was faint by the end of it (
oh yes, I was successful). But the thing is that
time passes so quickly when you’re having fun.. and before you know it, Welcome Week will be over!
Then it’ll be that time of the year - you know - that time when school hits, your textbooks get taken out of their packaging (but maybe not actually opened until much later), you start going to classes and then, quite rudely, midterms literally start popping up out of nowhere. Soon enough, it will be quite clear that you just want Welcome Week back again. And a big difference between high school and University is this: you essentially LIVE with your textbooks. You leave your room and people are STUDYING. It’s inescapable! So, what are you supposed to do?!
Allow me to introduce you to the IRC.
IRC?! YEAH, YOU KNOW ME!
You want it? We got it.
You liked Welcome Week because it gave you a chance to
BE LOUD.
You liked Welcome Week because you could
GET INVOLVED in what was happening.
And the IRC? It lets you do that
all year long.
Getting involved and being loud also means you probably want a chance to... develop skills to become a better leader. Meet people in every residence building. Learn more about the residence system. Impact the lives of students living in residence. Plan and run fun events for all students. The bottom line is, you want to make a DIFFERENCE in your first year at University! The IRC deals with sooo many issues pertaining to students that you will definitely find something to get involved in which you are passionate about! Case in point: Environmental issues, Budget, Bylaws, Facilities, Telecommunications, the Ontario Residence Hall Association Conference, Programming events for residence students, running those events you planned, Security, Yearbook, Student Dining... no matter what, each of these topics will impact you throughout your time in residence. So why not have a say? Make your opinion heard! Have your voice acted upon!
During the beginning of the school year, those IRC Reps in white rep suits (in my case Callen and Caitlin!) will come around your residence and give out Floor Level Inter Residence Council (FLIRC) representative nomination forms. “Just get 10 of your friends to nominate you and then you’re a FLIRC!” they will say. OKAY! So off you will go (like I did), get 10 signatures (not hard at all!), hand in your form and go to your first IRC meeting soon after. And your first year experience goes uphill from that point on!
The IRC is a great opportunity to get involved, no question. But in the end it’s up to you. What do YOU want to accomplish in your first year at University? What do you want to remember from your time living in residence... do you want to remember making a difference in the lives of your peers? Do you really want to make change happen? Do you want to have fun while you’re doing it? Do YOU want to be part of the IRC?
University.
This is what it’s all about.
So, grow. Collaborate. Express your opinions. Challenge yourself. Push yourself beyond your limits.
Make an impact. Do things you didn’t believe you could do before.
And no matter what, the IRC will be there, cheering you on. Long after Welcome Week is over.
See you soon!
Sarrah Lal
Vice-President Communications
Inter-Residence Council
