SA’s welcome festivities will see campuses to go head to head in friendly competition

Students coming to George Brown College (GBC) for the first time, as well as returning students, can expect a competitive edge to this year’s Week of Welcome. 

Students on the three main GBC campuses will compete with each other for points with organized challenges. The points will be tallied for each campus, and at the end there will be a grand prize.

And of course, there will be food for hungry students.

“All the food is free, it’s covered by the Student Association”, Neil Cumberbatch says, senior coordinator of events and marketing for the Student Association (SA)—which also funds The Dialog. 

Roasted corn, barbecue, and churros are some of the street foods that students can try while taking part in the festivities. Food trucks will allow staff who usually handle the barbecue to interact more with the students. 

SA board members will also be there to inform students of their roles on the campus and the upcoming fall byelections. Students can also learn about the services offered by SA at information tables during the street festivals.

The street festivals will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at Waterfront campus (51 Dockside Dr.), on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at Casa Loma campus (160 Kendal Ave.) and on Thursday Sept. 6 at St. James campus (200 King St. East). All street festivals will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. 

GBC students at Ryerson campus will have a Week of Welcome hallway festival on Tuesday, Sept. 11 on the fifth floor lounge of the SHE building at 99 Gerrard St. East from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

While the competition will be building up as the week progresses, students shouldn’t forget the theme of this year’s Week of Welcome is “Be Your Best Self.” 

“I just feel like I’m challenging students to get out there, get engaged and get out of their comfort zone”, said Alex Stewart, the director of campus life, about this year’s theme.

He has planned the student events for this year to be centred around this theme to encourage students to challenge themselves consistently.

Throughout the school year, there will be more challenges to raise school spirit.  

A trophy will be awarded each month to the campus with the most points, moving from campus to campus. 

The campus that wins the month will also receive a free lunch for all students. At the end of the year, there will be a grand prize for the campus with the most points.

The SA will also be hosting their annual GBC Fest concert, with Ty Dolla $ign headlining, on Thursday Sept. 13 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. 

There is also the annual Back-to-School Boat Cruise organized by the SA that will set sail on Friday, Sept. 28. 

More information on the Week of Welcome and SA events can be found on the SA website at: studentassociation.ca/events