Every year the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) rolls out the metaphorical red carpet at CamFest, a chance for new and returning students to get information about college-related programs and services, connect with friends, and score some free swag and eats.
“It’s a place for students to meet new friends, engage with old ones, find out information on how to have a successful semester and a successful time at Camosun,” explains CCSS clubs and events assistant Quinn Park.
Various groups, clubs, and services from off campus and on campus will have tables set up at CamFest—happening on different days at Camosun’s Lansdowne and Interurban campuses—for students to peruse. The Camosun library, for example, will be on site to issue student cards and bus passes to both new and returning students.
“I’m really excited to see so many Camosun departments and centres that have signed up for a table or spot at CamFest,” says Park.
Park says that this year there are some new additions to CamFest, thanks to a successful partnership between the college and the CCSS.
“Camosun has been wanting to make CamFest, which is run by the student society—with assistance from the college, of course—appear seamless with Camosun’s Welcome Week, which is run by Camosun,” explains Park. “The folks that students will see that have a T-shirt inviting students to ask them questions about Camosun are a part of CamFest for sure, but they are part of the Welcome Week.”
Park feels that the seamless coordination of the college and the CCSS is in the best interest of students, allowing them a more fluid experience between the two events.
“The student society has ran CamFest for quite a number of years,” says Park. “Camosun has been increasing the size of Welcome Week. Last year was the first year they started to post these ‘ask me anything’ folks.”
The addition of the Camosun College Welcome Week staff at CamFest last year proved to be a success, opening the door for the partnership to continue this year, something Park feels is a bonus for new students trying to navigate the overwhelming barrage of information they can face in the first few weeks of classes.
“I received quite a bit of positive feedback from students, and I’m all on board for students to have a low barrier to asking the questions that new and returning students might have—whether that’s where a certain location is on campus, or how to pay their tuition fees, or how to log onto the wi-fi, or where to print, or stuff like that,” says Park. “These are all really important things for returning students’ success, and the better access a student has to that, the happier I am. We’ve all been a new student and we’ve all had what we think are dumb questions, but lots of other people have those questions. It’s good to have someone there to answer them.”
CamFest will run from 10 am to 3 pm at Camosun’s Lansdowne campus on Tuesday, September 4 and from 10 am to 3 pm at the Interurban campus on Thursday, September 6. There will be entertainment and games, and a free hot-dog lunch will be served from 11 am to 1:30 pm (or whenever supplies run out). Food trucks will also be on site this year.