Students moving into McFeetors Hall at The University of Winnipeg this fall were treated to a special party to welcome them into residence for the upcoming academic year.
The first-ever McFeetors Hall move-in party took place last Friday, August 29 in the plaza outside the six-storey student dormitory. A DJ spun tracks and slices of pizza were handed out as a photo booth flashed nearby.
“We’ve always had games, but this is the first time we’ve had a move-in party,” said Jennifer Trotman, Director of Campus Living at UWinnipeg. “We wanted to celebrate students and welcome them in a fun way.”
About 90 students moved in last Friday, and another 60 on Saturday. A week of welcome programming followed. Moving can be a stressful time for students, some of whom are leaving home for the first time, so Trotman said the move-in party will become an annual event.
Community and convenience
Living in-residence offers numerous benefits, including community and convenience.
“One of the main benefits is the people that you’re going to meet,” Trotman said. “The community that we work to build here is really intentional, and our peer-to-peer model with our Resident Advisors (RAs) is really a model that’s set up for positive interaction and support while you’re pursuing your academics.”
RAs organize and promote residence events and support their fellow students living in-residence.
It’s nice and close, it’s a five-minute walk. I don’t have to worry about being late to class.
Mason Summers
“They’re upper-years students that are in our residence on every floor, and in our Balmoral Houses as well,” Trotman said. “They’re tasked with helping out with programming to get folks out of their room but also to navigate the downtown core, navigate transit, and are available after-hours for support if students are feeling lonely or isolated.”
Jazmin Hysert, Acting Manager of Campus Living, said RAs go through two weeks of training before Fall Term starts. The training covers topics like campus resources and services, plus self-care, accessibility, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
By the time the training is complete, “they’re like a walking info booth,” Hysert said.
Living in-residence is also a great option for student-athletes and others who enjoy extra-curricular activities.
“It makes it easy to partake in extra-curriculars because you’re in such close proximity to the campus,” Trotman said.
Returning home
Students often choose to return to McFeetors for “that feeling you get when people remember your name and they know who you are,” Trotman said.
Mason Summers moves into McFeetors Hall.
Mason Summers of Carman, Man., southwest of Winnipeg, was busy unpacking his room on the second floor. Summers is an economics and finance major who is returning to McFeetors Hall for a second year.
“I’m not from the city and I didn’t want to commute,” he said. “It’s nice and close, it’s a five-minute walk. I don’t have to worry about being late to class. The meal plan is also a nice plus. I don’t have to worry about cooking all that often.”
Summers said having RAs around was a big help when he was a first-year adjusting to university life.
“It was good to have someone to go to if you had concerns or questions.”
About McFeetors Hall
Opened in 2009, McFeetors Hall is a Silver LEED-certified, 74,000-square-foot student residence with 110 single, 30 double dorm rooms, and four meal plan options. Its design includes glass-walled lounge and kitchen areas for study, entertainment, and supplementary food preparation.
In 2010, McFeetors Hall won a City of Winnipeg Accessibility Award. Each floor offers a single dorm configured to accommodate the movement of wheelchairs. In addition, the residence features adaptive kitchens and washrooms with wide doorways, hallways, and closets, Braille on all signage, and a elevator with voice assist.
For more information about living options on the UWinnipeg campus, visit the Campus Living homepage.
