Rox Chwaluk, Brock’s Co-ordinator, Off-Campus Student Engagement, was part of a group that went door-to-door last week speaking to students and other area residents in Thorold about neighbourhood relations.Brock’s Welcome Wagon rolled into Thorold last week to answer the questions of new and returning students and deliver an important reminder: to be considerate in the neighbourhood they now call home.
University staff, joined by Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini, Thorold Councillor Ken Sentance and Bylaw Enforcement Officer Blediona Faci-Metcalf, spent Thursday afternoon going door-to-door to speak with students and area residents in popular student neighbourhoods.
The group delivered more than 150 copies of Brock’s Good Neighbour Guide, which provides helpful information about neighbourhood relations, getting involved in the community and student gatherings during a pandemic.
“We are excited to welcome students back to our community,” said Tanya Bradley, Brock’s Manager, Student Engagement.
“Through the Welcome Wagon initiative, we are able to have conversations with students related to being a good neighbour, making responsible choices while living off campus, and understanding their rights and responsibilities as student tenants,” she said. “We also acknowledge that the community students are returning to looks different this year, with COVID-19 safety measures in place to ensure we are keeping ourselves and our communities safe.”
Bradley said the Welcome Wagon allows the University to “emphasize the important role we all play in making good choices on and off campus, so we can preserve the in-person experiences we have all missed over the past year and a half.”
Rox Chwaluk, Brock’s Co-ordinator, Off-Campus Student Engagement, said students overall were “very receptive” to the neighbourhood visit.
“We received a lot of questions about garbage and parking regulations, so it was beneficial to be able to speak with them in person to provide those answers,” she said.
In addition to the recent in-person Welcome Wagon, Brock’s Off-Campus Living team will host a series of workshops, information sessions and neighbourhood visits during September with a focus on welcoming students to the Niagara region, living off-campus and promoting good neighbour behaviours.
“We will also have a social media campaign to highlight information and resources to ensure students living off campus have a positive experience and are able to make a positive impact in the community,” Chwaluk said.
For more information, visit Brock’s Neighbourhood Relations web page.
