Despite budget cuts, O-Week proved enjoyable for the Class of 2022
1L frosh has come and gone and 210 of us incoming baby lawyers are now newly initiated to the ways of U of T Law. This year’s O-Week, “RETROWEEK,” was an attempt to “emphasize that we all share a common past.” The two weeks of orientation involved four hours of daily Legal Methods class and many hours of attempted socializing. By the end of August, the new 1Ls were thoroughly excited, exhausted, and perhaps even a bit confused about what the next three years would hold.
There were some collective highlights and low points. For those who partook, most of the orientation activities planned by the O-Week Coordinators helped facilitate friendships for the 1L class. The outing to Dave & Buster’s and the LexisNexis-sponsored escape room game were particularly fun. While most of the mandatory administrative events were blandly informative, the one on mental health, which was perhaps the most important, generated collective fear and dread. While these emotions faded over the social activities of the next few days, the message of the session (that being a lawyer is one of the worst things you can do for your mental health) was not particularly encouraging.
The upper-years who planned Orientation Week clearly thought carefully about how to structure those two weeks in August. Organizers Ioana Dragalin, Nargis Fazli, Robert Nanni, and Dana O’Shea were present throughout all the social events. Not only did this showcase their dedication to ensuring RETROWEEK was a success, but their presence also demonstrated that upper-year law students care about the 1Ls and want to help us succeed. Nanni said that the O-Week Committee had the goal of fostering a sense of comfort and community among the incoming class and create a space where the incoming class could get together, get acquainted, and realize that they can all get through this program together. That message is a far cry from the dog-eat-dog reputation of U of T Law.
Nanni also noted that RETROWEEK was somewhat constrained by the Ford government’s budget cuts, a statement that highlights the potential effects students will experience. This is the first year where students can opt out of committing funding for all levied clubs and societies. While these budget cuts were not immediately apparent during O-Week, it is understandable that other events will be more apparently affected by financial restraints.
The O-Week Committee should be commended for the effort they put into planning RETROWEEK, evidenced by the individually hand-dyed tie-dye shirts that each 1L received on the first day. Much thought went into making sure RETROWEEK was enjoyable and accessible for everyone: most events were not alcohol-centered, all but one were free, and many were semi-structured in a way that was designed to allow less-extroverted students to feel more comfortable in social situations. Next year’s O-Week coordinators would do well to look back to RETROWEEK in planning their own successful 1L frosh.
