Orientations, orientations, orientations. I never realised — physically — how many orientations we have. Jump Start. GALA. Graduate Students. Parents. IMAGINE, today. And I’ve been to almost all of them to table information booths this year.
There is something about working at Speakeasy that bestows a ‘come hither and ask for directions’ aura even when there isn’t a single sign around you saying ‘directions’ or ‘maps’. A good third of the questions I received at Grad Students Orientation, for example, were ‘I wasn’t here for orientation this morning — what do I do?’ and lost GALA students looking for International House.
Not that I mind the questions — for some reason, I like smiling and being helpful.
But I still think it’s a really good idea for people to carry their own campus maps, particularly when they are new to the area. Printable maps are readily available on UBC Wayfinding. It’s also the go-to site for looking up those mysterious building codes and impossibly tiny locations that can’t be spotted with the naked eye. Paper copies of these maps are also available in Brock Hall, the UBC Bookstore, and at the Speakeasy information desk in the SUB (when we haven’t run out).
If you’re new and have time today, go to all your classrooms before school really starts. Know where they are and how long it takes to get from one class to another, if you’ll be able to make it in ten minutes or if you’ll have to plan to leave early from one, arrive late to another, or find some speedier mode of transportation than rapid walking.
Also, have fun today! I’ll be one of those friendly Speakeasiers at either the SUB desk or the IMAGINE Day booth smiling and pointing you in the right direction.
