Preview weekends make amends

Posted by admin on Oct 17, 2007 in News | 0 comments

Lauren Thompson

In lieu of declining enrolment, the admissions office at Trinity Western University decided to take action. How, they asked, can we bring more students onto campus? The result was Preview Weekends, a revamped and extended version of the traditional View Days.

Although last year’s efforts brought over 200 potential undergraduates to campus, the admissions office realized that many of the events were an inconvenience to the students already attending the university. As the admissions office reintroduces the festivities Oct. 19-20, some changes will be seen.

“The desire of our office in holding an event that has an impact on current students,” said Melissa Reed, associate director of undergraduate admissions, “[is to] thank them for dealing with the inconveniences.”

Residents will not have to deal with the most common headache reported last year: not having enough seating in the cafeteria for both the events and the current students. The admissions office plans on using a smaller section of the cafeteria, so both groups can coexist.

These acts of gratitude include free ice cream served by Resident Directors for all during preview weekend lunches, and a six-dollar dinner for residents consisting of gourmet pizzas, salad, dessert, and Jones soda.

“Students were good sports [last year],” she said. “We asked, ‘what more can we do?’”

The weekends will have essentially the same format as last year’s, offering various seminars for prospective students and parents on the university’s offerings.

In addition, the event will partner with the annual Program Fair, where the various academic faculties display their departments for the student body.

The fair will be open at different times to Preview Weekend guests, and students already enrolled. This way, the faculty can give adequate attention to each, according to Reed.

Two more preview weekends are scheduled for the spring, based on the idea that students are more likely to attend a university if they have actually been to it. The admissions office is hoping to host 100 or more students and parents this semester, and increase that number in the spring when more high school seniors are looking for universities, said Reed.