Some of the perks of living in Residence here at Brandon University are the gratuitous opportunities to meet new friends and have fun trying new things. Many people come from different backgrounds, such as larger cities like Winnipeg, tiny villages like Binscarth, or from another country thousands of miles away. Making the adjustment can be really hard for some people, and in this writer’s opinion, the best cure for homesickness is adopting your new place as home. Better yet, keep yourself distracted and occupied by getting involved in residence life.

For those who are not aware, each residence has a council, consisting of students living within the respective dormitories. Some aims of these councils is to hold events to foster community, and encourage healthy breaks from studying. Between the 3 Residences, you can count on events each week, varying from Movie/Game nights, Nerf Gun Wars, to a Zumba Group, and even a Room Escape. These events are not Residence exclusive, meaning the residents of Flora Cowan and McMaster are welcome to attend events in Darrach Hall, and vice-versa. Best of all, these events are free for Students, with the exception of socials, and some charity donation based fundraisers.

So how do you know what’s going on? Posters are put up within all the residence buildings, written on Event Calendars within each Lobby, and often posted to the BURS (Brandon University Residence Students) group on Facebook. Once you come out to an event, you’ll likely hear about other upcoming events, and your attendance encourages the council to put on similar events more often. It may be intimidating to come out to an event by yourself, but by attending a few events, you will soon find the other students becoming familiar. The students who organize these events are often great resources, whether you want someone to vent your frustrations about class with, or to ask for a second opinion about an assignment, as they are going through, or have gone through, similar matters. Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone and attend an event you might not have pegged yourself as being into. A change of pace can be the start of something rewarding.

Republished from The Quill print edition, Volume 107, Issue 20, January 31, 2017.