UM TodayCampus Life – UM Today

From abroad to the dorm: students find home in college residence

Marissa Naylor — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:44:07 +0000

The St John’s college residence is a diverse place filled with students from all over the world. From Malaysia, India, Africa, and other countries worldwide, the students feel at home when they walk into the building.

We caught up with Dean of Residence, Matthew Bowman, as the college looks to fill available rooms with January 2024 and Summer 2024 students looking for accommodation.

“The college residence is a unique place in that we house students from many different countries who all have different life experiences. When they move into the college, they feel welcomed because of the other international and domestic students in the residence and how friendly the community is here.”

In discussing the college experience with Matthew, it was evident that the residence was a place that supported students and wanted everyone to feel at home. With the 24-hour support through Matthew and the Don’s Program, students can feel safe and secure in the college residence while having a place to succeed in their studies.

In our conversation with Matthew, he gave us insight into the college experience.

“The Dons welcome students in on move-in day when they arrive at the residence. They help students get comfortable, show them around the residence, introduce them to the staff and other students who quickly become friends, set up their room with them, and then take them on a UM tour of campus. Following the tours and once students get comfortable, the Dons also educate new residence students about the opportunities that are available at the university for them regarding employment, student councils, and resources they can use.”

As Matthew points out, the community of the residence begins on move-in day with the Dons. This Don’s Program is the face of the residence for college students, which is made up of five students who oversee the college after hours, help run resident events and keep things running smoothly in the residence. It is also used as a 24 hour student support team for students living in residence.

It’s apparent in our conversation with Matthew that what students enjoy about residence is more than just receiving an education; it’s about building friendships for a lifetime.

Apply to the St John’s college residence today!

Click here for details, benefits, and general information about the residence.

A record-breaking kick-off to start the 2023-24 academic year!

Marissa Naylor — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 20:25:00 +0000

The first week of the 2023-24 academic term has come and gone; what an exciting start to the year!

We started the week with our St John’s College Student Council at the Welcome Day event, where we met thousands of first-year students as they began their University of Manitoba journey.

In talking with students, both new and returning college members, you can feel the excitement as they return to campus and into hands-on learning again with their friends.

We spoke with our student council, SJCSA, about the week, here’s what they had to say:

“Seeing the smiles on people’s faces and feeling the buzz around campus, it’s great to be on campus and connecting with new college members. We can’t wait for what’s ahead this year!”

If you aren’t a member or looking for a small community within the broad UM campus, sign up here so you can enjoy our events like Jumpstart last week!

Speaking of Jumpstart, SJCSA continued to kick off the school year with a record-breaking numbers of students attending since before the pandemic. You can read more about what Jumpstart is here.

With various students attending from all faculties, including Nursing, Science, Asper School of Business, Agriculture, Engineering, and Arts, it was a blast seeing students of all programs connect in one space again over food, games, prizes, and conversation.

We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the year!

View our membership benefits on our website, found here.

Remember to become a member today!

Get in the campus game with Intramural Sports

Garrick Kozier — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 15:33:14 +0000

A message from Recreation Services:

Brett Stovin, captain of the University of Manitoba Bison Men’s hockey squad, sports a few different “jerseys” at the University of Manitoba.

Aside from also being a Recreation Management and Community Development major in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, he’s a part of the Recreation Services team as the Ice Hockey Intramural Sports supervisor. This position provides him with valuable business administration experience and also a sense of satisfaction when hearing feedback from participants.

“I enjoy hearing how stress-relieved people feel once they’ve participated in our programs, or have used our facilities through Rec Services,” he says.

Interested in playing intramural sports? Check out the vast selection offered during the winter term, and sign your team up. Basketball, hockey, soccer, dodgeball are just some of the sports available. Registration starts Jan. 7-23.

If intramural sports isn’t your speed, we also have REC Clubs available during the winter term for those looking for a more casual sport experience.

Proud moments highlight Campus Life celebration

Charlie McDougall — Mon, 01 May 2017 14:42:43 +0000

Program coordinator Trevi Freeze recalls when graduate Paul Redmond shared his proudest moments at the University of Manitoba as the highlight of this year’s Campus Life end-of-year celebration.
The celebration is an event where students share their university experiences in the Campus Life program, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities though auditing university courses.
Typically, students share what they’ve learned in class with a brief Powerpoint presentation; however, graduates take the opportunity to reflect on their entire university experience and share their thoughts.
For Redmond, who audited classes for seven years at the university, a proud moment included landing a paying job delivering copies at the UMSU Copy Centre. Moreover, he felt honoured when one of his classmates wrote a letter expressing how much it meant for him to be in class.
“Having a student with disabilities in class can be a welcomed opportunity to explore inclusion, and for Campus Life students, it gives them a sense of belonging and empowerment that can lead to even greater achievements in life.” Freeze said.
In all, the celebration marked the end of the academic year for eight students.
“It’s an opportunity for family, faculty, friends, tutors, and volunteers and anyone else the student would like to invite to get together for some food and to learn about what the students have been up to,” Freeze said.