St. Clair College is gearing up for the fall semester by welcoming students to its on-campus housing.
The college began opening up its residences to incoming first-year students this week, with over 5,000 students beginning their programs at campuses in Windsor and Chatham.
The main campus in south Windsor is home to Quittenton Hall, the primary on-campus residence for Windsor students.
Jessica McCullough, the housing manager, says the process began for some students this past weekend and things have been going smoothly.
"So far, it's amazing," says McCullough. "We had our first official early move-in day which was this past Sunday, where we had about 145 new students walk through our buildings. They're starting to get settled in."
McCullough says Quittenton Hall can accommodate about 400 students and they have reached capacity for the fall semester, beginning next week.
St. Clair College has its main campus building ,but it also has some of its programs in downtown Windsor, at the MediaPlex and the Centre for the Arts. The college also has a significant campus in Chatham.
The housing is being opened as part of the college's orientation week, and St. Clair continues its celebration of its 50th anniversary. During orientation week, first-year students tour the campuses, become acquainted with their programs and the faculty, and are given a chance to avoid long lines by purchasing textbooks, materials and parking passes.
First-year students, many of whom are living away from home for the first time, will have access to programs and services to make them feel at home.
Megan Betts, a medical laboratory science student from Scarborough, Ontario, says she loves living on campus and much is done to make residents comfortable.
"If the student feels homesick and they need to talk to somebody they can come down to the front desk, they can go to their [resident advisor], and they can talk to somebody about it," says Betts. "We can connect them with the kind of resources they need."
In addition to the tours, McCullough says they are planning events to help new students become familiar with Windsor-Essex, and with each other.
"Right now they're just learning their community, meet new people and meet new friends," says McCullough. "Not only just the college campus, but we're also putting on a Windsor bus tour. We'll be running that about three times this week."
The 50th anniversary of the college continues with the official opening of the fall term on Tuesday, September 5. Events have been planned for the month of September beginning with Dirty Bingo on September 6, and an appearance the following evening by Juno and MuchMusic Video award-winning recording artists Marianas Trench. A craft beer festival is also among events for September on the Windsor campus.
Orientation on the Chatham campus will feature a free hot breakfast, the Bazooka Ball and a chance for students to participate in the TSI Olympics.
For complete information on Orientation at the Chatham campus and all Windsor facilities, click here.