Foot traffic on university campuses around Halifax is picking up. The official move-in dates start later this week, but some students were on campus Tuesday to get a headstart. “Today we are actually exploring Halifax because I need to know my way around, taking the bus routes and stuff and getting the lay of the land and know my way around so it’s not an abrupt start on Tuesday,” says Meaghan Belanger, a first-year Dalhousie University student. “Seems to be kind of busy. I think move-in is Sept. 3, but there are some early move-ins going on so more people are around and orientation is just starting up to,” says Charlotte Jackson, another first-year Dalhousie student. “It feels like freedom. I have been living here on campus for the last few years and now I am living a little further away in housing so I feel kind of like an adult a bit further away,” says Tessa Lindsay, a fourth-year Dalhousie student. Orientation officially kicks off at Dalhousie on Friday. The student union says the goal is for students to build community. “Events and fests and different kinds of ceremonies for students. One of those is DalFest where we invited Beaches and Neon Dreams to come and perform and there is puppy yoga, Dal dance societies that will host dances,” says Orpy Dey, Dalhousie Student Union vice president academic external. Safety is top of mind for this team not just during orientation but year-round. “We have a trained security team just during the night until 5 a.m. from morning until night and they will kind of go across campus and we have a Dal safe app when they spot any type of insecurity or safety emergency,” says Dey. Saint Mary’s University says it has a full slate of welcome activities in store over the next two weeks. They hope students connect with classmates and learn about the campus. Their message is to have fun while being respectful of one another, the neighbors and the Halifax Community. “This year’s programming includes dozens of events, such as the Festival of Food, the Student Success Session (with tips and tricks to navigate the first term), trips to Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg, the SMUSA Husky Festival, and our annual Pep Rally ahead of the Huskies’ home football game,” says Lynn Cashen Basso, director of student accessibility, wellness and success with student affairs and services. “Students can also take part in the Service Expo as well as the Societies & Partners Expo, where they can learn more about supports on and off campus, student societies, campus partners, services, various campus departments and the many ways to get involved at Saint Mary’s.” “I am just looking forward to meeting new people with the same interests as me and for new opportunities,” says Catherine Koch, a first-year Dalhousie student. Mount Saint Vincent University expects a busy campus on move-in day this Sunday. They remind students orientation events are for all students, including those off campus and commuters. “My message is to dive in and engage. Go to anything that sounds remotely interesting because you might be surprised and often people make some of their best friends for life during that first week of orientation,” says Keltie Jones, vice president of student experience with the university. “I think the other thing is we have a big commuter population on campus and a lot of students live off campus that think orientation is not for them and that is completely wrong. We have a lot of activities and it’s a great way for students that live off campus to make connections with their peers.” Safety is also a top focus for Mount Saint Vincent University this week as well. “We have certain rules in place during the first two weeks of school. All of our events are dry events, none of our events are related to alcohol and our student union is on board with that as well. That’s something that’s a constant here,” says Jones. It was a trip down memory lane for some parents, especially those who are university alumni. “I couldn’t resist coming back to campus since I’m an alumni from 23, maybe 24 years ago. I did my undergrad here and it’s really nostalgic to be back and see all the buildings and show my kids. We are going to go to the Dal Bookstore and get them some cheese shirts,” says Jana Danzier. “It’s kind of nice to come back to the old stomping ground and show her around because I remember way before GPS and phones and stuff we were all overwhelmed about where everything was,” says Chris Belanger, a parent of a Dalhousie student. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
