“Welcome Week is where my Acadia journey began,” says Jessica Boone, vice-president of Programming for the Acadia Students’ Union. “I met some of my best friends during Welcome Week and it’s when we became part of the Acadia family. It might sound a bit cheesy to say, but it’s genuinely the way it is.”

Welcome Week is when the twin realities of living away from home and adjusting to the academic expectations of university come together for first-year students. At Acadia, it’s a full team effort. Christine Moreau, Welcome Week coordinator for Acadia’s Student Services department says “Welcome Week was when I found out how many opportunities there are at Acadia and how I could have an impact during my time as a student. During my first week, I saw how I could make my student experience my own and how many support systems are in place -- from the residence assistants to the counselling staff to the professors -- to ensure that this happens.”

The theme of Acadia’s Welcome Week is Rise with the Tides, a play on the fact that Acadia sits on the shores of the Bay of Fundy but, according to Boone and Moreau, a theme intended to be more about how students can expect Acadia to help them reach their full potential.

With almost 800 first-year students moving into residence on the last Saturday in August, the organizers hope the theme will also help stretch the Annapolis Valley’s warm summer just a little longer into early fall. 

Create your own experience

“Welcome Week will be very much what you want it to be,” says Moreau. “Whether you want to join the Quidditch match on Raymond Field or take in Country Night in the Students’ Centre, there will be something for everyone.”

Matriculation on Saturday afternoon grounds students in Acadia’s traditions and expectations, and academic orientation on Tuesday, September 1 is where students will have a chance to meet many of their professors and classmates before classes begin on Wednesday. Other social activities include, Playfair, a community team building activity where students have a chance to meet new friends from every residence on campus as well as those living off campus, video and board game nights, and an evening bonfire in the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens.

James Sanford, Acadia’s executive director of Student Services says Welcome Week is about making all students feel comfortable in their new environment as quickly as possible. “We have students from across Canada and from more than 50 countries on campus. New students arrive with different expectations and they live in our residences and in apartments off-campus. We work hard to ensure our Welcome Week programming is as inclusive as possible to ensure the transition to university is seamless and no one feels left behind. We even have a program on move-in day for parents to help them make their own transition.” 

Community engagement starts early

Acadia’s students are an integral part of the Town of Wolfville and have a long history of volunteer service whether at the local elementary and junior high school, the community foodbank, or in one of Acadia’s many programs such as S.M.I.L.E. In 2014, The Acadia Students’ Union decided to form its own volunteer and fundraising program called Axes in Action. On Saturday, September 5, students will be out in the local communities of Kentville, New Minas, and Wolfville raising funds for Axes in Action’s two designated charities, S.M.I.L.E. and L’Arche Homefires, before heading back to campus for Acadia’s first football game of the season.

Last year, Acadia students raised more than $10,000 that was split between these two organizations and the goal for 2015-16 is to raise even more.

“More than 80 per cent of Acadia’s students volunteer in the community,” says Susan Mesheau, vice-president of Enrolment and Student Services.  “This not only reflects the closeness between the Town of Wolfville, the surrounding areas and the University, it speaks volumes about the kindness and wonderful spirit of our students.”

Barrie, Ontario native Moreau says that Welcome Week is so important for students transitioning to a new phase in their lives that she feels it’s critical to their future success. “I came to an Experience Acadia event and knew Acadia would be the right choice for me. I feel it’s important to remember that many students are well outside their comfort zone in their first few days here and our job as Welcome Week leaders is to make them feel safe, comfortable, and well prepared for their Acadia career.”

Boone, who hails from Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, remembers her Welcome Week very clearly. “I remember the leaders I had during Welcome Week and how much I looked up to them. I have always wanted to be one of those people who made it such an amazing experience for me, and I’d like to do the same for every one of our incoming students. I can’t wait for the school year to begin!”

For information about Welcome Week programming visit:

Acadia’s Welcome Week website

Acadia Students’ Union Welcome Week 2015 website

Follow Acadia University and the Acadia Students' Union on Facebook. #RisewiththeTides #WelcomeWeek2015

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