Orientation Week preparations got off to a bumpy start this year when several colleges opted not to purchase the traditional frosh kit for their students.
In a meeting between the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) and college representatives on June 20, many colleges realized they could not afford the proposed contents of the kit.
“The thing that threw the colleges off was the price of the kit,” said Trinity’s Frosh Week chair, Faran Umar.
Another problem with the kit, Umar explained, was that it charged some students for events they were not scheduled to attend.
“Many colleges are unable to attend the events, therefore it was unreasonable to expect us to pay for them.”
Stephanie Bradley, vice-president of activities for the Engineering Society, expressed similar frustrations. Bradley said that her college finished its planning months ago, and that “SAC really needed to start a lot sooner” if they wanted to include as many students as possible.
Bradley also said the uneven voting system at the meeting exacerbated the situation. Every college, regardless of the number of its students, had the same number of votes.
“In the end I simply had to abstain from the vote,” Bradley said.
The proposed kit included a laundry bag, T-shirt, and tickets to a Hawaiian-themed Luau Buffet, among several other items.
Cheriana Hansen, SAC’s orientation coordinator, said she “wanted all the frosh to have the same kit.” She said she is also in the process of asking the university to help the colleges out with some of the expenses.
Since the meeting, though, SAC has departed from its original vision to have every college buy the same kit.
As a result, Trinity and the engineers will probably be purchasing the T-shirt and laundry bag, but not tickets to the Luau.
Frosh week runs from Sept. 2 to Sept. 6. The Hawaiian Luau, the parade and other activities will take place Friday, Sept. 6 around Hart House Circle.
