None
Monday, 22 February 2016

The reappearance of students on campus each February can be easy to take for granted. As if out of thin air they arrive; bustling between activities, anxiously studying their maps and often looking wide-eyed and overwhelmed.

However for Narelle Palmer, Orientation Services Manager, and the UniStart team orientation is much more than just one week and involves months of hard work and preparation to minimise those overwhelmed looks. If you ask Narelle, the start of semester is all about making students feel welcome, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more welcoming bunch than this.

Narelle knows what it is like being the new kid, or in her case, mature-age student on campus. Having a partner in the mining industry meant Narelle experienced this no less than four times while completing her commerce degree in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.

“I started my degree at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and then moved to Brisbane where I spent a semester at Queensland University of Technology before transferring to the University of Queensland (UQ). I was actually pregnant with my third child while at UQ, I sat my Marketing exam when I was two weeks overdue and ended up having my daughter that night! ” Narelle laughed.

“Two weeks later we moved to Perth and, on the advice of someone at UQ, I applied to finish my degree at UWA. After graduating in 2003 I asked my then lecturer, Dr Judy Skene, if she had any work available and here I am 13 years later.”

Narelle’s experience starting out at UWA was vastly different to a student starting today. Aside from a Commencement Ceremony, she didn’t really have an orientation; certainly not in the form it’s currently offered.

“I had a very isolated existence at university; I didn’t know what was on offer or where to go for support and because of that I don’t feel I really got the full university experience. I remember thinking that I could leave and no-one would ever even know I had been here. That was an awful feeling to have and I don’t want any of our students to ever feel that way,” she explained.

Around 4,500 new students will be coming in to UWA this semester and about 90 per cent of those will attend one or another of the orientation events on offer this week. These include Commencement ceremonies where students are formally welcomed by the Vice Chancellor and Guild President, key activities to explain the services and support on offer as well as specific activities developed by each faculty.

There are also cohort-specific activities such as the International Welcome for all international undergraduate, postgraduate, student exchange and study abroad students. All international students must attend this event under the Education Services for Overseas Students requirements to ensure they understand things like visa requirements, the university’s expectations and to be briefed on safety and security.

But orientation is more than just this week. The team also organises a diverse range of excursions to help students connect with each other over the six weeks or so it takes for them to settle in. These can be walking tours of the city, trips to Adventure World and even taking them shopping!

“It sounds funny but taking them out to get a few bits and pieces can really help the students living in the colleges to feel at home,” she said.

Aside from organising these orientation activities, Narelle’s team offers a variety of other services. One of the things she is most proud of is the UniMentor program, which began in 2000 in one faculty before spreading to the rest of the University and has come along in leaps and bounds over the years.

‘Our mentoring program is really special. Other universities in Australia have tried to emulate the program but with much less success. I’m not sure what makes UWA so different but I am glad it is!” she said with a smile.

The program averages 300 to 350 undergrad and postgrad mentors each year, with many taking part year after year. Potential mentors are screened via interview before undertaking training and finally being matched to incoming students according to their field of study. While mentors are not paid, it is not a problem to find willing recruits.

“Our mentors aren’t motivated by money, they want to be involved in the University, they want to make a difference and ensure new students feel welcome and supported. Other universities do pay their mentors but still don’t have the same level of success as us,” she explained.

“They really do get a lot out of the program, they feel connected to the University and we make sure they are recognised with mentor t-shirts that they design themselves and badges according to length of service.”

Mentors are also the first port of call for volunteer or casual work opportunities that the Unistart team hear about and coming out at the end of their course with a letter of reference detailing their service is seen as a differentiator in a competitive job market.

“We used to get a handful of requests for reference letters each year, now we get a few hundred. Students who have taken part in the program are viewed very favourably by employers,” she said.

Two years ago UniMentor was broadened with the launch of the ‘ConnectMe@UWA’ program which links international students with a current student as soon as they accept an offer. They can then correspond with that student for months via email and video chat and ask all sorts of questions about UWA and Perth before they even arrive.

This service has been extended again this year to include an airport meet & greet service to welcome international students. This has meant some early starts for the team who are covering four to five hour shifts, along with volunteers from the mentor program, at the airport starting from 6am.

Playing a big part in this initiative has been UniStart Project Officer, Daniel Beasley. Aside from a lot of early mornings at the airport, Daniel also arranged the volunteers to accompany staff each day.

“Our mentors jumped at this opportunity, within the space of about 24 hours we had about 30 to 40 students put their hands up to say they wanted to meet and greet international students at the airport,” Daniel said.

“Most students coming in have airport pick-up services arranged but having someone there as soon as they get through the arrivals door to greet them is really appreciated. They see the UWA t-shirts and their faces light up when they realise we are there for them. We provide them with a welcome pack that includes a bottle of water, some snacks and information about Perth and chat to them while they wait for their transfer or help them if they don’t have anything arranged.”

Not only has the team had positive feedback from international students but also from domestic students and even alumni who have seen them at the airport.

“The first thing anyone sees coming through the doors are us in our yellow t-shirts holding a sign saying ‘Welcome to UWA’ - it makes a big impact. We’ve had domestic students say they wished there was something similar for them and alumni stop to chat so it has really made a great impression,” said Daniel.

Narelle agrees: “We are here to improve the student experience from the moment they accept their offer right through to graduation and beyond. At the end of the day the experience has improved through these initiatives and that is our bottom line.”

Tags

Groups
UWA Forward