Media releases

  • Brock’s Fall Preview Day going live online to welcome prospective students

    MEDIA RELEASE: 1 November 2021 – R0116

    Brock University’s Fall Preview Day will include all the staples: guided campus tours, engaging information sessions and valuable opportunities to chat with current faculty, staff and students.

    And although this year’s event will again be held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, every effort is being made to give prospective students and their families a feel for what that on-campus experience is like.

    Fall Preview Day — for students considering joining Brock in January or September — will be streamed live on the Welcome platform Sunday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Students will have the chance to create their own schedule for the day, choosing from a variety of live interactive sessions they can participate in from the comfort and safety of home. Throughout the day, Badger hopefuls will have the opportunity to speak with staff, faculty and current students and have their questions answered.

    “It’s similar to what students would do when they’d arrive on campus for a traditional Fall Preview Day: choosing their own path, deciding what they want to see and who they want to hear from throughout the day,” says Carly Dugo, Recruitment Officer, Campus Initiatives.

    “There will be a little bit of everything there to help students get to know what Brock is all about, what we offer and how they can get involved on campus,” she says. “This is our way of helping them to feel comfortable and confident about coming to Brock as a student.”

    As part of the opening ceremonies, led by Matt Melnyk, Brock’s Director of Student Recruitment, the virtual crowd will hear from Interim University President Lynn Wells and members of the Brock University Students’ Union, before being given a walkthrough of how to navigate the event site.

    Presentations will be delivered by each of Brock’s Faculties, as well as the University’s Residence and Co-op, Career and Experiential Education teams, with students able to pick which sessions they participate in.

    The afternoon will also include a series of networking lounges that will each focus on different campus services, supports and other aspects of university life.

    “This format is meant to give students all the same information they would get by hopping from booth to booth in Brock’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium in a normal year,” Dugo says. “We’ve heard from students that interaction and flexibility is key and have worked that feedback into our live programming to make it as engaging as possible.”

    A series of student panels will round out the day, focusing on academic success, living at Brock, experiential learning and the performing arts.

    Dugo says the Recruitment team’s virtual offerings have come a long way since the pandemic forced many in-person events online in March 2020.

    “After every event we’ve hosted, we’ve made adjustments to try and better meet the needs of those in attendance,” she says. “Students want to connect with us, be able to ask their questions and have the experience be as personal as possible, even though it is online for the time being. We’re really excited to have a live Fall Preview Day with engaging opportunities for students to participate in.”

    The live event is a “huge community effort,” she says, with “everyone coming together from across the University to make Fall Preview Day happen.”

    A Fall Preview Day website, which will launch Nov. 7 and remain available into the new year, will act as a complement to the live event, with information on programs, services and extracurriculars. Recordings of the event’s Faculty presentations will be available on the site at a later date for those unable to attend.

    In addition to virtual tours held as part Fall Preview Day, Brock will be hosting in-person campus tours on weekends throughout November. To register, visit discover.brocku.ca/tours

    For the full schedule for Brock’s Fall Preview Day, visit discover.brocku.ca/fallpreview

    Anyone interested in applying for Brock’s January Winter Term or September Fall Term can visit brocku.ca/admissions/apply for more information.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

    * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970

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    Categories: Media releases

  • Brock offering full slate of activities to encourage responsible gatherings this Halloween

    MEDIA RELEASE: 26 October 2021 – R0115

    Brock University students will have plenty of options when looking for something safe to do this Halloween weekend.

    As it continues to work with Niagara communities and encourage its students to be good neighbours, the University has expanded its on-campus offerings throughout this week and weekend, while also ramping up off-campus patrols.

    Brock continues to work with local municipalities, Niagara Regional Police Service and Niagara Region Public Health to educate its students about making smart decisions, especially as COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.

    “We have seen many issues arise in the province so far this fall, with students making poor decisions that adversely affect their local communities,” said Brock University Interim President Lynn Wells. “As a part of this Niagara community, it is important for us to educate our students and make them aware of alternatives to attending unlawful and unsafe gatherings.”

    With public health measures still in place, large student gatherings on or off campus are not permitted. Local law enforcement and bylaw officers are taking a zero-tolerance approach, with significant fines being handed out as required.

    As it has done throughout the start of the Fall Term, Brock is paying for additional Niagara Regional Police officers to patrol known student areas off campus. Brock Campus Security will also have its full complement of staff working throughout the weekend.

    “We really want to encourage our students to explore the wide variety of engaging Brock-sanctioned events and activities that are being offered both in person and online,” said Brad Clarke, Director, Student Life and Success. “We understand that Halloween is a time when students want to gather and enjoy themselves, but we’re asking that it happen in a safe and responsible manner.”

    Visit ExperienceBU for the full lineup of Halloween events and for additional details, including registration information.

    Here are some highlights of the initiatives taking place:

    • The Don’t Put the Bad in Badger campaign returns with Brock’s Off-Campus Living and Neighbourhood Relations office delivering messaging to students on campus and in higher density student areas off campus throughout the week.
    • The Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) is using its outdoor patio to set up Halloween-themed decorations and will have passive activities and giveaways for students.
    • The Department of Residence has been offering consent and healthy relationship programming throughout October and will have alternative Halloween programming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
    • Brock’s Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre (SWAC) has launched campus-wide educational campaigns on substance abuse, consent, staying safe during Halloween and COVID-19, and safe partying and safe drinking. SWAC is also working with various campus partners to host Treat or Treat events Wednesday and Thursday that encourage students to visit various locations on campus to learn a tip about celebrating Halloween safely in return for a giveaway.
    • Brock Human Rights and Equity (HRE) is focusing on several social media campaigns that will educate students on appropriate Halloween costumes, consent, partying and healthy relationships. In partnership with SWAC, HRE is hosting a virtual Spooky Tie Dye event on Tuesday, Oct. 26 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. In partnership with the Student Justice Centre (SJC) and Student Life and Success (SLS), HRE is also hosting the Be Spooky not Racist event on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 7 p.m.
    • The SJC is working on a large-scale campaign related to appropriate Halloween costumes and hosted a virtual 2SLGBTQ+ Adult Virtual Drop In Group Monday night.
    • The SLS department is offering students a series of alternative Halloween programs, both on and off campus, including trips to the Crux Escape room in St. Catharines Wednesday and Thursday; a Halloween-themed painting event on campus Thursday; a Tip or Treat event in the Student Success Centre Friday; a Movie Fright event at Landmark Cinemas Saturday night; Ghouls just wanna have fun – Music Trivia Sunday night; and the annual Trick or Eat event Sunday, where students go door to door collecting food donations for Community Care of St. Catharines.
    • Brock International is hosting a trip to Warner Ranch and Pumpkin Farm on Wednesday as well as a Halloween Social and Costume Contest Friday.
    • Brock Recreation is hosting Pumpkins in the Pool Friday, where students can swim alongside pumpkins and take one home after. The Walker Sports Complex will have extended hours until 8 p.m. on Saturday and will be allowing students to sign up for two-hour timeslots at the Zone Fitness Centre. There will also be Fright Night on Alumni Field, where Brock’s turf field will be open for soccer, flag football, spikeball and more under the lights. In addition, Brock Sports is featuring a series of varsity games between Thursday and Sunday with Halloween themes.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970

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    Categories: Media releases