Carleton's administration has partnered with student unions for this fall’s Frosh Week, after the administration’s takeover of the event in early April was met with student outcry.

Suzanne Blanchard, associate vice-president (student support services), said via email that the university and student unions, such as the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA), “will work in partnership on all aspects of orientation week.” 

However, she added, “the university will have the final say on a number of aspects of the week,” and the university will focus on “activities that help incoming students be more effective in the classroom and learn about Carleton's diverse community.”

This would include keynote speakers and workshops on campus, among others things. Blanchard said the student unions “will focus on volunteer co-ordination and social events.”

RRRA president Karim Khamisa said although the university has added an academic element and will have “sole authority” over Frosh Week, “at the end of the day it will still be the Frosh Week that students have all come to know.”

The university will also have “ultimate accountability for the week.” As a result of this, Blanchard said inappropriate behaviour by student volunteers could result in their dismissal or removal of their ability to participate in future Frosh Week events. 

In addition, Blanchard said non-student volunteers will not be allowed to participate in Frosh Week because “there is no accountability mechanism in place to manage them.”

CUSA president Alex Sirois said the issue of non-student volunteers had come up “before all of the orientation negotiations had started and something we were comfortable going forward with.”

He added that CUSA got what they wanted out of the deal. 

“It worked out pretty well,” he said. “We’re all in the loop of what’s going on at all times, so it’s a very effective way to organize orientation week.”

The administration’s takeover of the event in early April had initially created controversy among students and volunteers. Rallies protesting the decision held on April 14 and 20, the former attracting around 250 students, had sparked Frosh heads to send out messages on Facebook stating that a CUSA/RRRA-run Frosh would be held separately from the administration’s. 

However, Blanchard said student action had no impact on the university’s decision, saying the administration had intended to include RRRA and CUSA from the very beginning.

“This is the outcome we had hoped for, originally. We are looking forward to working closely with other student groups in the development and delivery of the program,” she said. 

“For example, regarding the cultural evening, we will be approaching many of Carleton's student cultural groups to design and deliver this activity, and we are keen on consulting with the Carleton Academic Student Government on the educational components of the week.”

Sirois, however, said the student action that took place had a significant impact on the negotiations, as they were able to meet more often with the administration.

“I think the protests really showed the administration how much this issue meant to the students,” he said.