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Welcome to KSU Orientation Week 2025!
This website has all the information you need to get ready for life at King's and to keep up with O-Week programming! On this page you'll find notes of welcome, and the tabs in the top right will guide you to many more messages and resources from all across campus. Happy orienting!
Where are we? Mi'kma'ki!
Where are we? Mi'kma'ki!
Located on unceded Mi'kmaw land, the University of King's College is subject to the Peace and Friendship Treaties (of 1726 and 1760/61), which did not deal with the surrender of lands, and instead "set terms for co-existence" (Naiomi Metallic 2019) for everyone in Mi'kma'ki.
Kjipuktuk, or the Great Harbour, existed as a place for gathering and sharing stories long before European colonization and we recognize it, and all of Mi'kma'ki, as Mi'kmaw land. Mi'kma'ki and many other territories, especially on the east coast of so-called canada, are often referred to as unceded, meaning they were never surrendered, but stolen. Start here to begin learning more.
We are all treaty people.
Welcome from the O-Week Coordinators!
Welcome from the O-Week Coordinators!
Welcome to O-Week 2025: Fill Yer Boots! We are working all summer long to build an O-Week that will help “get your sea legs” at King’s.
The phrase “Fill Yer Boots” is popular in the Maritimes and is used to encourage someone to enjoy something as much as they want or get all they can out of an experience. That’s exactly what we want to help you do here at King’s, during orientation week and beyond! Our goal is to show you all that King’s has to offer and to welcome you to our community with Maritime hospitality, whether you’re coming from away or from just down the street.
Next to a world of knowledge and stories and new perspectives, what we hope you find from your time at King’s is community. The people you will meet here will be just as big a part of the journey as the books you’ll read, and o-week is the perfect place to begin. There is magic waiting for you in our tiny quad, and even more once you step outside of it and get to know the city. As your o-week coordinators, we are here alongside the leaders to help you make a safe and comfortable home, and answer any questions you might have as you settle in. We encourage you to be bold, curious, and to fill yer boots during your first week and beyond–you’re already off to a great start.
Can’t wait to meet you,
Catherine, Morag, and Jane :)
A Warm Welcome from President William Lahey
A Warm Welcome from President William Lahey
Hi,
I am delighted you are coming to King’s. I look forward to meeting you and hosting you in the President’s Lodge, where Kathryn and I love having gatherings for students. I also look forward to seeing you regularly around campus, including in Prince Hall, the Wardroom, at Blue Devil’s games and in the Pit Theatre. If you ever want to ask me about anything, or share your perspective with me, or just chat, please never hesitate to say hello wherever you see me, or to send me an email at william.lahey@ukings.
I am, as always, grateful to the KSU for getting this O-Week website out to you in advance of your arrival on campus. It is full of useful and important information. The KSU does an amazing job in helping to ensure King’s students are supported – and supported in supporting each other. It also organizes and supports so many of the events and activities that make King’s an incredibly fun campus, including for the university’s president!
You are coming to a university that is fully and deeply committed to education that will satisfy and nurture your intellectual curiosity. You will be encouraged to reconsider your views through the eyes of a wide range of alternative perspectives from the past and the present. This will be exhilarating but also challenging. We believe deeply this is how transformative learning happens.
Your voice will matter here, in and outside of classes. And so will your contributions to making the education and experience of those around you as good as it can be. Equally important will be the openness and gratitude you show for the voice, contributions and interests of others.
My top priorities are ensuring that everyone is welcome at King’s and that we are a truly inclusive and accessible community that is defined by a deep culture of consent and respect. We pride ourselves on our honesty: like everyone else, we are a work in progress. But we are also dedicated to playing our role in Reconciliation and to putting our values of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and safety for everyone into action.
Yours truly,
President Bill
Tips and Tricks from Jeff Wilson, Dean of Students
Tips and Tricks from Jeff Wilson, Dean of Students
Congratulations on your decision to come to King’s—and on making it to the O-Week mailout!
As Dean of Students, I collaborate with an incredible team at King’s, Dalhousie, and in the community to provide non-academic services and programs dedicated to supporting you. I also get to work with our amazing students to make sure we are meeting your needs as best we can. This is what makes King’s special. I can’t wait to see how you will enrich our campus.
As you prepare for arrival, here are some tips to consider:
Google “transition to university w curve”. It is very normal to experience a rollercoaster of emotions during your first year. You are not alone.
If you or your loved ones want more information about what to expect, read Transitions: Making the Most of Your Campus Experience
Don’t be afraid to show up as your full self—who you are, not who you think you need to be.
Check out the resources and services at King’s and Dalhousie. Talk to your current healthcare providers about creating a plan to support you using some of these services. Connect with these supports before September if you think you may benefit from them.
If you’re coming from away, as they say in the Maritimes, pack light. You need less than you think, plus we have lots of amazing local stores if you forget anything.
Check your Dal/King’s email regularly. Please. You can also forward it to your preferred personal email account (instructions are on the Dal website).
Last—but certainly not least—enjoy your summer.
Reach out to me or any of the other support folks on my team if you have questions as September approaches. We aren’t as intimidating as we may seem. And, most importantly, we are here for you.
Take a deep breath. One more for good luck. You got this.
See you soon in the Quad,
Jeff Wilson (He/Him)
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