AV俱乐部

Her Majesty's Secret Service 鈥斅燚SU execs Rosalie Hanlon, Gareth Stackhouse, Tara Gault, Courtney Larkin and Mike Tipping. (McNutt photo)

You Only Live Twice, but you get to experience your first week at university just once.

鈥淲hen you come to university, it鈥檚 a whole new world," says Courtney Larkin, Vice President Student Life with the AV俱乐部 Student Union. She鈥檚 in charge of organizing DSU鈥檚 2007 Orientation Week, taking place from Sunday, Sept. 2 through to Wednesday, Sept. 5.

鈥淲e try and take the best parts of university life and put it all together, helping our new students feel at home in the Dal community."

The schedule of events is sure to leave the future AV俱乐部 Class of 2011 shaken and stirred by the experience. Taking advantage of the calendar year, the DSU has christened this year鈥檚 activities 鈥淒al 007," in honour of everyone鈥檚 favourite British secret agent, James Bond. 鈥淲e figured it was our last chance to do so for the next hundred years," jokes Ms. Larkin.

New students who purchased their Orientation Packs will receive entry to the week鈥檚 events and a snazzy faux-tuxedo T-shirt.聽 Many activities have been given MI6-approved titles; for example, the Student Services session goes by the moniker 鈥淣ever Say Never Again," and the campus-wide scavenger hunt will prove that 鈥淭he World is Not Enough."

What鈥檚 Ms. Larkin鈥檚 advice for this year鈥檚 new students? 鈥淕o to as many events as you can, find out what interests you, and never stop asking questions. Be curious, and take this opportunity to learn about all the cool things you can take part in here at Dal."

Orientation Week highlights

• 鈥淔rom Sexton with Love鈥� (Sunday, Sept. 2,聽1 to 6 p.m.) 鈥� A giant welcome party down at the Sexton Soccer field, complete with music, pizza, beverages, and much more. All AV俱乐部 students, faculty, alumni, guests and community members are invited to attend.
• AV俱乐部 Induction Ceremony (Sunday, Sept. 2, 7 to 9 p.m.) 鈥� An official welcome ceremony allowing new students meet the faces of the university administration and student leadership. This year鈥檚 guest speaker is AV俱乐部 atmospheric scientist Tom Duck, whose lidar technology is currently soaring through outer space on its way to Mars.
• Thunderball (Monday, Sept. 3, 1 to 6 p.m.) 鈥� If you can dodge a Tiger, you can dodge a ball. Last year this gigantic dodge ball tournament was a huge hit, and this year鈥檚 going to be bigger and better. Awards and bragging rights are at stake.
• Shinerama (All day Tuesday, Sept. 4) 鈥� DSU Vice President Internal Rosalie Hanlon says that the DSU is already ahead of their fundraising pace from last year, with a little help from Theodore Tugboat (whom the DSU shined earlier this week). Look for AV俱乐部 students all around the city raising money for cystic fibrosis research.
• Moonlight Movie (Tuesday, Sept. 4聽鈥� For the first time, the quad of the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building will be transformed into a movie theatre with a 25-foot screen. Casino Royale and Austin Powers are both on the schedule, complete with free popcorn and candy.
• Concert on the Quad (Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.): New students will get to hear the very best of Halifax鈥檚 vibrant music scene as the Joel Plaskett Emergency and In-Flight Safety rock the AV俱乐部 quad.聽 AV俱乐部 students can purchase tickets for this event only on Tuesday Sept. 4, 8:30 a.m. at the Information Desk in the AV俱乐部 Student Union Building.

For the full schedule of events, please visit

Stickin鈥� it to wasted paper DSU's USB stick. Every year, universities and student unions across the country cram new student orientation kits with piles of pamphlets and papers, most of which eventually end up in the trash. This year, the AV俱乐部 Student Union has gotten creative 鈥� they鈥檙e one of only two student unions in the country to replace all that paper with a USB memory stick. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 trying to be more sustainable and we want to get on board, do our part to reduce paper and give students something they can actually use," says Courtney Larkin, DSU Vice President Student Life. Each USB flash drive has three folders of content: one from the DSU, one from the university and one from the sponsors of this year鈥檚 Orientation Week. All the information that used to be in paper form is now electronic. Once students have read through the information, the 256 MB sticks are theirs to use in their studies. Ms. Larkin explains that while most of the sponsors weren鈥檛 used to the idea, they quickly jumped on board when the DSU explained the goals of the project. The DSU hopes to continue to find similarly innovative ways to get information to students in the future.