There has been a significant increase in frosh preregistration this year, which organizers say is proof the new partnership between Carleton’s student unions and university administration has had a positive effect.
According to university administration, early registration for orientation week has topped 1,500 students, an increase of 300 from last year. Estimates by the university are predicting registration to be close to the maximum 2,300 students. Between 2,000 and 2,300 people are expected to sign up by the time frosh opens Sept. 4.
The number of incoming, full-time students for this year is expected to be about 4,800, whereas last year, there were about 4,600 new students.
Earlier this summer, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) staged a sit-in outside of president Roseann Runte’s office, threatening to run an off-campus frosh after the administration took control of orientation week.
The two sides have since come to an agreement to collaborate on orientation week.
“I do believe [the partnership] has helped because the open lines of communication between CUSA, RRRA and the student experience office and the administration,” said Nick Curtis, the head of advertising and marketing for Frosh Week.
“We’ve been working very well together, and the administration has a number of resources that CUSA and RRRA don’t have. So we can really work together well to get to our target market,” he said.
Jeremy Brzozowski, one of the university’s frosh co-ordinators, stressed the new partnership has been a reason for much of the excitement surrounding this year’s frosh.
He said both sides’ expertise and their ability to pull together resources has made organizing the event more efficient. The alliance between the two parties has also made it easier to get the word out about Frosh Week, Brzozowski said.
“At the end of the day we had to work in the best interest of the students,” he said.
Ryan Flannagan, director of student affairs, said much of the increase can be attributed to CUSA’s marketing campaign, which was more aggressive than in past years. CUSA used email, mail-outs, postcards and social networking to reach students.
Also working in organizers’ favour is a new orientation schedule that includes academic and cultural events, aimed at making the transition to university life as smooth as possible. Flannagan said the changes have allowed organizers to appeal to a broader audience, including parents.
New additions to the schedule include a transition workshop, an expanded academic orientation and the play “Survival U” performed by Carleton’s Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company.
Not to be forgotten, however, are the traditional frosh activities.
“We’re still going to have beach day, we’re still going to have the concert,” said CUSA vice-president (student life) Chris Infantry.
“We’ve had a very positive response,” he said.