Fall semester is here again! The days are getting shorter and the warmer days of summer will soon be a distant memory. Sad as I am at the thought of having to wear layers once more, I am equally as excited for the fresh prospects the new semester will bring.
Along with new opportunities we also have new students joining us. I am sure you have all noticed the the newest addition to the Trent community, our lovely first years. During frosh week they could easily be recognized by the look of wide eyed confusion that clouded their eyes.
Luckily for them, the TCSA kicked of the school year with a bang launching one of our favourite Trent traditions, Introductory Seminar Week (ISW).
ISW was a blur of wonderful events meant to familiarize new students with the numerous possibilities campus life has to offer. I will not be able to talk about all of them in detail but just in case you missed it, here is a quick run through of the major events.
Welcome back week kicked off with the Consent Is Sexy workshop on September 9. Although society has evolved over the years and become more open and liberal as far as sexuality is concerned, it is still an issue that is not discussed as often as it should be.
Enter the vibrant and vivacious anya gwynne, local writer and sex workshop facilitator, to save the day. She was able to give a very fun and insightful talk on sex and body awareness that was helpful to all genders and sexualities. Hopefully, we will be able to host her again.
Another highlight was the clubs and groups day. The Trent International Student Association provided free ice cream to help everyone deal with the sweltering heat and students got a chance to check out all the groups Trent has to offer, some old, some new, all interesting.
A lot of new clubs were on display such as Trent Red Cross, Trent Visual Arts Association and Trent Science Fiction and Fantasy club. There was a little something for everyone no matter their interests and hopefully every first year was able to find their niche.
For anyone who was hoping to pick up some nice stuff and get familiarized with the Peterborough downtown business, Vendors day took place the next day on the Bata podium.
ISW continued to gain momentum with numerous activities occurring on campus to compliment the major events such as Movie night at Wenjack, Lets Ride bike tours, the Glow Party, The Open Mic and Food Issues Round Tables to mention a few.
Although all these activities were rather exciting, they were all leading up to the biggest event of ISW, IntroFest.
This year, IntroFest featured the Young Empires who have dubbed themselves a “world beat haute rock” band. With African and Latin American percussion accents coupled with a feel good rock-pop fusion vibe, the Young Empires kept us dancing all night … well up until 10pm anyway at which point it was way past my bedtime. Although the Young Empires rocked the night, opening act The Darcys did not disappoint either.
If you live off campus, you might start to feel a little bit isolated and ignored, but the TCSA did not forget the off campus students either. On Friday 13 there was an off campus barbeque at the Pig’s Ear Tavern.
As I nostalgically look back on my very own ISW week, I begrudgingly realize that this one was better by far.
The year is officially in full swing and I cannot wait to see what this year has to offer us. Whatever it is, it promises to be good. ISW turned out to be a fun filled week with a little bit of everything that catered to everyone and got us all ready for the year ahead of us, now it is time for the real fun to begin.
Welcome back students and faculty, cheers to a wonderful new year!