FCS Frosh Zone: New students joined with enthusiasm!

The Faculty of Community Services held a two-week online orientation in a digital space named FCS Frosh Zone in early September for new incoming students. The major goal of the FCS Frosh Zone was to help students make connections between other students, student groups, and the many campus services and supports that exist to successfully help them make their way from their first week towards graduation in a few years.  

There were over 1200 student registrations for FCS Frosh Zone programming. “This is a major transformation from what we’ve done in the past,” said Dani Gomez-Ortega, Manager of Student Experience at Faculty of Community Services. “Typically, we’d have a half-day event including barbecue, and games. We went to a two-week, 40-event initiative with  lots of ways to connect students to each other and the supportive infrastructure we offer at the Faculty of Community Services.”

“We wanted to see connections happen, and that’s exactly what happened.  Students met in the Frosh Zone and then created Whatsapp groups, facebook groups, and connected on Instagram,” said Jeffrey Doner, Student Experience Assistant - Faculty of Community Services.  “Students were really happy to meet staff and faculty as well, putting a human connection to the digital experience.”  

“I think students really appreciated the flexibility that this program offered,” said Gomez-Ortega, “because it met them where they are.  Our students are often working multiple jobs, taking care of family members and commuting up to 1-3 hours to spend a day on campus, so they really appreciated that the online orientation saved them time, effort and was much more convenient for them.  COVID-19 may have pushed us to do this, but I think students have been wanting this for some time.  We also recorded many programs so students could participate on their own schedule.”    

There were also staff benefits, she explains.  “Many staff mentioned that they were able to access more students more efficiently than they have in the past.  For example library staff, in past FCS orientations, would talk to a relatively small number of students for 5-10 minutes and then run to another classroom to speak to another program. This year’s format allowed our campus partners to access all FCS programs at once during 45-minutes sessions which allowed them to create a stronger connection with students.”

“Incoming FCS students also really know that they are part of a faculty.  We elevated the FCS brand and identity as a community through this initiative,” said Doner. .  

“We worked closely with the Ryerson Community Services Society (RCSS) and other student groups to create a full frosh experience.  Students really appreciated that there were so many options for them,” said Gomez-Ortega.  “We saw a lot of students come back to the daily signature event, our FCS Hang Outs.  Students who attended the RCSS evening programs (RCSS @ Night)  also came back.  This tells us that if we step up to fill a need for students - they will participate. The virtual social programs at night also helped to encourage connection and reduce the loneliness and stress that can come with the social distance measures COVID-19 has required. These events offered a high-impact experience without a lot of costs involved.”  

“Programming this year took innovative steps that met both a COVID-19 need, but also reflected a need that students have had for some time,” she said. “I can see students and staff wanting us to continue this kind of online programming after COVID-19 is over, again, because it recognizes where students are, reduces barriers and uses technology that they are embracing.”  

“We think that this was a big success, but if I could add one thing... our existing students are great ambassadors for our schools, programs and services, so I hope we can find more ways to incorporate them into next year’s orientation programming.”    

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