It’s a campus tradition that focuses on safe and inclusive alcohol-free events for incoming students.

Brockchella, as the Brock University Students’ Union Orientation Week celebration is known, kicks off Sunday, Sept. 3 with a party in front of the Sir Isaac Brock statue. O-Week includes a full slate of on-campus activities designed to help first-year students familiarize themselves with their new home through fun, engaging and educational programming.

O-Week officially begins with Move-In Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday as hundreds of upper-year students help nearly 2,400 first-years and their families move into Brock’s seven residences. The day wraps up with the Tower Party and Live Burn, a demonstration by St. Catharines fire department and Brock Campus Security that teaches students about fire safety in their residence rooms.

Monday will see students competing in the Summer Games in Weather Station Field, followed by a 9 p.m. movie screening in the field in front of the Sir Isaac Brock statue.

Tuesday and Wednesday will see a massive Vendor Fair taking place in Weather Station Field, which will introduce students to local businesses and various departments and activities on campus.

New for 2017 is the Wellness Fair being held Thursday, which will allow students to learn more about wellness-related services available both on and off campus. It will also kick off Wellness Days, which will be hosted by BUSU throughout the school year.

The annual O-Week Paint Party will take place Friday, Sept. 8, wrapping up with a fireworks display at 10:45 p.m., weather permitting.

On Saturday, Sept. 9, hundreds of Brock students will head out across Niagara for Brock Cares, an annual day of volunteering and fundraising throughout the community.

That night, Brockchella will hit its peak when American rapper Desiigner will headline a performance in Brock’s Weather Station Field. Signed by Kanye West’s label, Desiigner is a breakout star on the hip hop scene whose hit song Panda has had more than 245 million views on YouTube.

“We think it’s a huge win for the University,” said BUSU President Faisal Hejazi. “Desiigner has become an internationally recognized artist in a short period of time. He’s still young so I think we can expect a lot more from him in the future.”

“A lot of students have voiced that they wanted to see a hip hop or rap artist come to Brock, so we’re super excited to be able to bring that to them,” said Maddy Wassink, BUSU’s Vice-President, Student Services. “Not only do we have an amazing headliner, but also our support artist, Jazz Cartier is getting a ton of attention, too.”

Wassink said the students’ union is committed to being a good community neighbour and will follow all city by-laws, ensuring O-Week activities wrap up by 11 p.m. each night.

“The team and I have spent our summer living and breathing O-Week so we couldn’t be more excited going into this, ready to share a packed week of fun to welcome our Badgers back to campus,” she said. “We have catered all events to be inclusive, safe and continue to allow students to have the time of their lives.”

For a full schedule of events for the week, visit Brockchella.ca.