There are two facets to our orientation programme: the main aspect is the orientation of the first-time entering students, and this runs for the entire week, from Sunday evening 8th February through to Friday 13th February. All students are required to be present for this orientation, prior to the start of lectures on Monday 16 February. The other facet of our orientation concerns the parents or guardians of our first-year students, and especially those who plan to accompany the student to Rhodes and “settle them in”. This takes place from 11h00 on Sunday 8 February.
If your parents cannot attend, please rest assured that this will not in any way compromise or disadvantage you, or imply that they are ‘lacking’ as parents for some people, making this trip is impossible.
If your parents are able to come to our campus at this time, it will give them the opportunity to explore our beautiful campus, to find out more about how Rhodes operates, and to meet some of the people who will be playing a role in your life. If your parents do plan to come, we advise that you book accommodation well in advance. There are very few hotels in town, but there are a range of B&Bs advertised on: http://www.grahamstown. co.za/accommodation.asp.
1. Walking Tours
There will be organised walking tours of the Campus for students and/or parents on Saturday 7 February at 14h00 and on Sunday 8 February at 09h00, starting from the steps in front of the main Administration block.
2. Parents’ / Guardian Information Session
The parents’ information session starts at 11h00 on Sunday 8 February. While this is obviously not compulsory, we encourage parents and guardians to come along, since feedback from previous years has made it clear that everyone finds it enormously useful in many respects.
The venue for the Parents’ orientation (and for the Vice-Chancellor’s address to new students and their parents – see below) is the Guy Butler Theatre in the 1820 Settlers National Monument. The Monument is the very large building off campus, but clearly visible on top of the hill as you drive into town. To walk or drive to the monument from central campus, follow Lucas Avenue (past Eden Grove): the road winds rather steeply, but the path for walkers offers a shorter route. The walk takes 10 to 15 minutes.
NB: If you drive, please allow 15 minutes to get from the car park to the auditorium in the Monument.
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Last Modified: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:18:06 SAST