Orientation Events

  Peter Winandy

Studies at RWTH Aachen start for numerous first-year students at the beginning of every October . In collaboration with a student team, the university puts on an orientation week from, so that you as a new student are well prepared to start lectures on the first day.

 

Getting to Know University and City Life

Do you want to successfully start student life, while getting to know your fellow students in addition to the university and city of Aachen. You have landed in the right place: Aside from the welcome and information events, your student representative council also organizes a city rally, tours of institutes, and a project day during the orientation week. Additionally, tutors from higher semesters will accompany you, who will gladly answer any questions throughout your first week at RWTH Aachen.

 

Project Background

The orientation week serves as a foundation for supervising new students as they begin their studies at RWTH Aachen.  This week is independently conducted by tutors in the student representative councils in collaboration with the university and the city of Aachen.

The goal of this orientation week is to accompany the new students in the various areas of studies and to attend to and solve social and subject-specific questions. The student representative councils and the training tutors create the foundation of a good orientation week and ensure students start studies without any problems.

 

Organized by the Student Representative Councils

The student representative councils must plan the orientation week in accordance with guidelines and support their tutors in the implementation of orientation week work. This includes:

• The student representative council must offer incentives for good tutors and
• include them in the planning of the specific orientation week.
• Each representative council must name at least one contact person for the orientation week. Simulatenously there is the orientation week team at the university level, which functions as the cross-section between the student representative councils, the university, and the city.
• The main task of the student representative councils is to ensure that new students receive basic information for the start of their studies. This includes introductions to Campus Office, the elearning-Portal L²P, and explanation of the examination regulation. This can occur, for example, through information events or via the tutors.
• In collaboration with the institutes, each representative council organizes a project day during the orientation week and is involved in planning the rally.
• Minors must submit a statement of agreement from their parents upon participation in the orientation weekend.

 

The Tutors

The most important pillar of a student's initial time at RWTH Aachen is supervision by the tutors: The tutors are the first contact persons and are there to support a feeling of togetherness and communication among the new students. The groups should work within the framework of the existing guidelines:

• The tutors may not expense or promote the consumption of alochol. They are required to ensure that this occurs in moderation. They are also required to restrict those underage from drinking.
• The tutors are required to consistently be available as contact persons both during and outside of the orientation week. This ensures a smooth start during the orientation week and of the start of studies.
• Tutors may not put on any strip games, games where clothing is taken off, or be persuaded to play other similar games.
• Tutors may not express any discriminatory thoughts or actions and should prohibit such discriminatory behavior among each other.
• In the case of problems, tutors should contact the respective representative council immediately

Trainings

The tutor training prepares prospective tutors for the events during the orientation week as well as for questions and problems that may arise from first-year students. The student representative councils should think about the goals and conception of these tutoring trainings and specifically address and discuss the following topics:

• Discriminatory behavior such as whistling, cat-calling, or verbal expressions should be recognized and prohibited early on.
• Equal treatment of all students and supervision of international students
• Perceived image and effect of the consumption of alcohol at the focus of the university, city of Aachen, and in public
• Tutors as representatives of the student body towards the university and in public
• Training tutors in the examination regulation, the university's infrastructure, and the cultural aspects of the city of Aachen: there must be at least one trained tutor.