I Just Got Accepted to York! NOW WHAT?

A lot of students feel a bit lost after they initially get accepted to university. I should know, I just got accepted to the University of Amsterdam for a one semester exchange. So now that you're officially a York student, theres a few things you gotta do before you start classes. Such as:

1. Book your Enrolment Appointment (Mandatory for all students)
You will receive help picking your mandatory/elective courses. They can answer a lot of your questions about majors, course materials, when to buy your books, etc. I remember my appointment was a bit dry so its always good to head over to York's Red Zone afterwards for a refreshing taste of awesomeness!

2. Come to the RED Zone after your appointment, we got tons of knowledge for you!
RED Zone student ambassadors will assist you with your transitions to university life and inform you about different campus services, cheap events, fun trips, online services, and more. We will also talk to you about how to get involved in your college, student clubs, intramural sports, Frosh Week, parties, etc. RED Zone staff are all current students who have a lot of experience in student activities and will share the knowledge on how to adapt to university life.

3. Take a tour with the Bennette Centre or just walk around and get lost. Trust me its fun! York is beautiful during this time of the year and its the best way to get familiar with campus.

4. Attend Academic Orientation. You will be informed about various academic services and resources that will assist you in being successful during your time at York. The Academic Advisor from your college will: teach you how to get good grades; assist you with your courses; and they love having interesting conversations about life, personal interests, hobbies, and much more. They have lots of wisdom! The responsibility is yours to tap into their knowledge.

5. Attend Social Orientation (Frosh Week). Frosh Week is a 10 day event consisting of various team building exercises, games, activities, trips, parties, and much more! The purpose of Frosh Week is to make new friends and I guarantee you will if you actively participate in the events. Every year, Frosh Week has amazing activities such as: a Blue Jays Game; Wasaga Beach trip; Canada's Wonderland; huge carnival; cheer offs; water fights; dance parties, university traditions, and a whole lot more!! Ohhhh yeah!!

If you want to know more about the things you gotta do before class, come visit the RED Zone team in Vari Hall and we will show you the way! We are also big online with our blogs, twitter, and email.

- Mike

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NEW TO YORKU? LOST? FEELING OVERWHELMED?

NEW TO YORKU? LOST? FEELING OVERWHELMED?

Don't be scared! You're probably feeling the exact same emotions as the person next to you. Even though I consider myself to be a social person, I was still scared on my first day on campus. What saved my life, and what made me feel EXTREMELY welcomed was Frosh Week with my college, Atkinson College (now called New College). On my first day of Frosh Week, I met one of my frosh bosses, Felicia, and she was AMAZING! The first thing she said was, "What's your name?" then she was like, "HEY EVERYONE, THIS IS MIKE! SAY HI MIKE!". It was at that very moment when I knew I made the right choice to go to York (I mean who would want to go to UofT or Ryerson anyway LOL). Frosh Week made me feel right at home and I'm forever grateful for it.  

My Frosh Week was amazing! I got to meet a whole bunch of new friends and went wild with all the different activities. I remember going to Canada's Wonderland and riding the Xtreme Skyflyer with my frosh bosses. It was epic! We went to a Toronto Blue Jays game and I painted my face blue for a cheer off. Afterwards, I was selected to go on the field and do the 7th inning stretch for my College, which was a once in a life time experience. We also had a water fight that was four colleges vs four colleges in the middle of Vanier Field. It was almost like a Spartan war with water balloons. I've never had so much fun in my life. I wish I could go back and do it again and again. 

So the main point that I would like to make is that there is nothing to fear. If you need help or are unsure of something, just ask. Everyone is really nice on campus and there are many people here to help you including students, faculty, and staff (We got your back). I highly recommend Frosh Week, even if you're shy because it is so amazing and you will make sooo sooo sooo many friends. And if you don't think Frosh Week is for you, there are other people to assist you. 

Such as: 

- Student Community and Leadership Development, (I love these people, shout outs to Jair, Mike, Ian, Catherine, and all my other homies)

(416)736-5144, Ross S172

- College Councils, http://colleges.yorku.ca/, ( They are amazing! Their events are so cheap!)

- Student Clubs, http://yuconnect.yorku.ca/ (Theres so many to choose from!)

- Counselling and Disability Services, http://www.yorku.ca/cds/ (Free and useful services)

- Atkinson Centre for Mature and Part-Time Students, http://www.yorku.ca/acmaps/ (Awesome free services)

- Office of the Vice-President, Students, http://mocha.yorku.ca/atlas/servlet/atlas/action/AtlasAction/template/orgUnit.vm?eventsubmit_doorgunit=OrgUnit&searchorgunit=Vice-President+Students (Shout outs to Rob Tiffin and Ross)

- and soooo much more, OHHH YEAHHH

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Welcome to the RED ZONE!!

Welcome to the RED ZONE!!

My name is Mike Cannon and I'm your Red Zone Ambassador for the summer. I'm going into my 6th (really old) doing my DBL Major Hons in History and Political Science. For my 6th year, I'm planning on doing an exchange at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. BALLER!! I just wrapped up a one year term as the President of McLaughlin College Council and I'm very involved in on campus activities. My interests include: playing baseball; reading books (just finished Roots); eating entire bags of salt and vinegar chips; jammin' to music; watching movies; and more. Right now, I'm in the middle of watching: The Big Bang Theory; The Walking Dead; Mad Men; Spartacus; Breaking Bad; and Sons of Anarchy. Feel free to follow me on twitter and keep up-to-date on my blogs.

Keep it real!

- Mike  

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Once In A Life Time Experiences as a Student Leader

My fourth and fifth years were the greatest of my life and I knew that I had made the right decision in choosing York. Why? Because I became even more involved in my College life. I became Vice-President and later President of McLaughlin College Students' Council. In these roles, I was able to work with a fantastic group of students to put on events, sports, and activities that brought a lot of fun and life to the university. We did trips to Montreal ($100), Niagara Falls ($25), Blue Mountain ($25), Canada's Wonderland and much more for dirt cheap prices. We were able to create an amazing frosh week which included: a large carnival; trip to Wasaga Beach; alcohol and inclusivity training; a Blue Jays game; team building exercises; a campus tour; a football game; dance parties; dozens of free meals and much more. Throughout the year, we also did paintball for $2, free coffee houses, movie nights, pub nights, raptors games, and more. Our Council was able to build a community that was a home away from home for hundreds of students. The amount of fun was unreal, unlike anything you will ever experience in your life. That's why I'm glad I chose York and got involved. It wasn't just the events friends, and parties that made the experience so worth it but also the once in a life time opportunities given to me as a student leader. I got to meet dozens of faculty members on a personal level and work with them on various projects. I was able to sit on committees that directly and indirectly benefited the lives of students. These were opportunities that I knew I wouldn't have at any other university. Man, student life is a wild ride.

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The life of student leadership is a wild ride. I can’t believe how far I’ve made it over the last 5 years. I was once nervous about attending university and doubtful that I would ever succeed. The thought of being just a number in a large organization scared the hell outta me. But what has allowed me to develop as an individual and battle my fears? I’d have to say that the first step was signing up for Frosh Week. Frosh Week allowed me to come out of my shell and meet hundreds of new people and friends, many of them that I still talk to today. Frosh week allowed me to get familiar with the campus, bond with frosh leaders, and develop an understanding of how university life worked. Due to my hectic work and course schedule, I wasn’t able to get too involved my first year but I still had a lot of fun with my new friends and my College events. I was invited to awesome parties and join some amazing student clubs. I was even able to attend a leadership retreat in Windsor with one club, it was an eye opening experience.

 It was in my second year when I flourished as an individual. I managed to become a frosh boss and man was it a blast. After that experience, I got to meet hundreds of more friends including A LOT of student leaders who had a big impact on my life. I was able to get more involved in student politics and was even offered a job at the Student Centre by a friend that I met as a frosh boss. This was the first time that I realized that getting involved could really pay off, not just socially, academically, or emotionally but sometimes financially as well. In my third year, while assisting some friends in a student government election, I managed to meet a few student activists who later become some of my best friends. Sometimes I reminisce and wonder how things in life just work out without you knowing. It was also at this point when I learned that getting involved was a necessity for a full university experience. One in which I could be happy, involved, and do well in school. I remember some students that I met who had no friends or social life at York. This wasn’t because they weren't social or nice people, it was because they made no effect to get involved. I used to tell them that it was very easy to meet people at York. All they had to do was talk to people in class, walk into their college council/YFS office, join any of the 350+ clubs on campus but they just wouldn’t listen.  It was also around this time that I learned about the amount of power that students had in influencing university policy. I joined the Student Council of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and was a student representative for the Tenure and Promotion Committee. On this committee, I was able to vote on whether or not a professor was qualified for promotion and whether their student evaluations demonstrated their ability to teach. These experiences influenced me to become a better leader and take on an active role in the university.

My fourth and fifth years, they were an experience of a life time! I guess I will have to share them in my next blog……

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