ORIENTATION FAQ:

The FCSS, also known as the "Faculty of Community Services Society '' is Canada's largest Community Services Undergraduate Society. We are a democratic student-led activity government within the Faculty. We focus on sustaining and maintaining the student experience under our four pillars of Unity, Mental Health, Professional Development, and Academics. Did your secondary school or former post secondary institution have a student council or student society? We are a faculty-level student society supporting the needs of 8,000+ undergraduate students. We can change and vastly improve the spaces we as students move, study, socialize and work in through events, initiatives, and new infrastructure. The FCSS has an at-large first-year director position open and operates many committees and councils you can get involved with as a first-year; applications roll out very soon. Make sure to follow us on Instagram to stay in the know @fcssonline.

The Mandatory FCS Centralized Academic Orientation is occurring Tuesday, August 27, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. breakfast and lunch included by us the FCSS, and ends at 4:00 p.m. Our advice is to block off the following dates, as you do not want to miss out on all the exciting activities we have in store for our tenth annual frosh, which is our Orientation Week: (Full Day) Tuesday, August 27, (Full Day) Wednesday, August 28, (Full Day) Thursday, August 29, and (Full Day) Friday, August 30.

Frosh Orientation week is an invaluable start to your Toronto Met experience, and it will be one of the main ways to meet fellow Community Services students and make lasting connections. Whether the students be study buddies or lifelong friends, the relationships you make at Frosh can help you get the most out of your time at Toronto Met. You won’t want to miss out on the memories and friendships that Frosh Week creates! I am a mature student why should I do frosh? Over half of our students entering first year are above the age of 21. Our events and activities are planned to ensure a wide audience in mind.

Frosh Orientation activities varies from year to year. Frosh Orientation Week will consist of a variety of exciting interactive events, academic events, and bonding activities. Students will be led through all Frosh activities by their Frosh Leaders. Events vary per year, but typically include a Toronto crawl, concerts, club/services fair, SLC Live!, dance clubs (ages 17+), splash party, yoga by the docks, beach BBQ, island day! During the five days, froshies will interact with smaller groups of their fellow Community Services peers and meet froshies from other faculties. Frosh Orientation Week 2024 is equitably designed for all Community Services students to get the same experience and have a cleaer vision of your Orientation Week schedules. (Monday should be Central Orientation, Tuesday is your Academic Orientation with Frosh Orientation streamlined to offer an enhanced experience, and Wednesday to Friday is a combination of adventure, exploration of Toronto, learning, and fun!

A team of 7 Frosh Orientation Spirit Coordinators (upper-year students) spent the winter semester and summer organizing the four-day event, with responsibilities such as funding Frosh through sponsorships, booking venues, coming up with the theme, and hiring Frosh Leaders. During the week, they will wear tie-dye lab coats (Coats). If you ever need help before or during Frosh, contact a coordinator, who will try their best to assist you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or say hi! This Frosh Orientation Spirit Committee is hired by and overseen by The Executive Director of the Faculty of Community Services Society (FCSS). If you’d like to be involved in the Community Services faculty or Toronto Met community and possibly be interested in Frosh next year, check out more opportunities at the FCSS fcs.society.ca

YES! Registration is required to participate in Frosh Orientation Week. Links to registration and All-in Pass purchases are located in the menu tab at Frosh Pass or through our Instagram. Keep an eye on this site or our social media channels to stay informed about upcoming Frosh Orientation Week news.

Send an email to the Frosh Week staff at fcssociety@torontomu.ca Note: if any information on your form turns out to be false (ie. your major), you will not be allowed to participate in Frosh.

We highly encourage all incoming Community Services students to participate in FCSS Frosh Orientation Week! It is a great way to make friends in the Community Services faculty and get acquainted with upper-year mentors (Frosh Orientation Leaders) and the Toronto Met campus. Even if students have lived in Toronto their entire lives, we guarantee Frosh Orientation Week will show them something they have yet to see and will allow them to meet many people new to Toronto!

Frosh costs money for events the student society cannot fund due to many different factors. Here are them listed below: University Policy: FCSS has to follow the university policy when it comes to events involving trips from campus. Events outside of the main campus area of the university must be a ticketed event. Budget of the FCSS: FCSS is subsidizing frosh to a certain extent. If the FCSS funded the entire frosh week to be 'free' we would nearly use our entire budget for the year. That would be taking away from all of our other amazing events, initiatives, priority projects, support for our student clubs, support for you our students, and sending students to compete at competitions.

No, unfortunately, it is not logistically possible for us to let students pay per event or per day.

Our organized bonding activities will require you to be there on time and present for the entire event. Your Frosh leaders and the schedule will keep you informed on which events these are. Transit delays do happen a lot in Toronto so please message your leader if any delays are occuring.

The only mandatory part of Frosh Orientation Week is to set up and register your Frosh Orientation account. Frosh Orientation Week itself operates on an opt-in system, so you can choose which events you want to go to! Just ensure that you communicate with your Frosh Orientation leaders for safety. However, we do highly encourage attending as many events as possible!

Only a select amount of upper year, year one streams may come out to Frosh Orientation Week. These programs include: Direct Entry students entering their first year onto TMU Campus. Advanced standing students entering their first year onto TMU Campus. Collaborative Nursing students entering their first year onto TMU Campus Collaborative ECS students from GBC entering their first year onto TMU Campus. PLAD/PLAB students entering their first year onto TMU Campus. SOPHe Fast track students entering their first year onto TMU Campus. Upper year students not listed on this list are more than welcome to volunteer as aFrosh Orientation leader, and or wait for Week of Welcome activities to help integrate you back onto campus.

Consent is an informed and uninhibited agreement from all participating and affected parties regarding an action or activity. Consent is continuous, meaning it can be revoked for any reason. It can be recognized by the presence of an enthusiastic “yes” and not by the absence of a “no”. This applies to all circumstances and situations during Frosh, including sexual acts, photo sharing, and alcohol consumption. Consent from all involved and affected members is required for all actions people choose to take. Consent can never be assumed and can never be given if a person is incapacitated by alcohol and drugs or unconscious. All Frosh participants are required to take a virtual course about consent made. Consent Comes First on D2L. This ensures that the meaning of consent is unambiguous and unanimous among all Frosh Orientation participants. Many (notably, but not exclusively, sexual) acts committed without consent in the context of Frosh are eligible for consequences imposed by respective Frosh Committees and the Office of the Dean of Students.

Specifically, if a person were to share a photo or video of other people, it is crucial that everyone in the image or video has agreed to have it be shared and where. Someone unreachable online (asleep due to time zones, not logged in, unable to access a strong internet connection) cannot provide consent. This person is also unable to ask for or receive authorization. It is important to remember that consent is never implied, especially in an online context where socializing can often leave more implications than in an in-person setting.

Sexual violence is an umbrella term that encapsulates two behaviours; sexual harassment and sexual assault. Sexual harassment is any form of unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual acts, and verbal sexual aggressions. This includes harassment online or in person. Examples of sexual harassment include but are not limited to, unwelcome sexual teasing, jokes, remarks, questions, or suggestive signals. Sexual assault is any act of a sexual nature that the done without unambiguous and enthusiastic consent. Sexual harassment becomes sexual assault when physical contact is made. Any gender can commit both sexual assault and harassment. If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault or harassment during Frosh, please do not hesitate to contact the Inclusivity Coordinator. They will explain the various courses of action available, offer on and off-campus resources and support, and provide confidential, non-judgmental, and pro-survivor support. Regardless of the nature of the sexual act or type of harassment, if the incident made you uncomfortable, we encourage you to contact the Inclusivity Coordinator immediately. Unless there is imminent danger, your disclosure will remain completely confidential. Please note: you do not have to contact the Inclusivity Coordinator directly; leaders and other coordinators are all prepared and trained to receive and help with such information.

Frosh is an exciting week full of new experiences and meeting tons of other incoming students. But just as much as it is exciting, it can also be mentally taxing and stress-inducing. Students are encouraged to speak up when they are struggling with their mental health challenges. Toronto Met has a number of resources available to students during Orientation Week that serves this purpose: Student Health Assistance & Resilience Peer Program: https://www.torontomu.ca/student-wellbeing/sharp/ Access Allies: Frosh Leaders with additional and more specific training that makes them well-equipped to refer Frosh participants to the correct services for a variety of mental or physical challenges. They will be identifiably distinct from other leaders during Frosh and you may contact any access ally from any group. TMU Student Counselling: https://www.torontomu.ca/student-wellbeing/counselling/ ThriveTMU - Resources https://www.torontomu.ca/thriveru/ Hard Feelings TO (Short-term Counselling). Hard Feelings | Hard Feelings

Please remember that we will be better equipped to help you if you tell us of any potential issues before Frosh Orientation Week begins. You are also welcome to contact any Frosh Orientation Coordinator to share any problems during the event. Please do not worry about approaching us; we are here to ensure your safety and fun at Frosh Orientation Week! Issues with the Frosh Orientation Leaders: Please fill out the anonymous problem form during the week, so we can provide solutions to increase your and your peer's enjoyment of the week.

Student Frosh Orientation Leaders help you every step of the way during Frosh Orientation Week. Always feel free to contact your Leaders if you require extra assistance at any point during the week. Additionally, there will be one Access Ally leader per group, who will receive additional accessibility and mental health training. The Community Services Inclusivity Coordinator will be present during Frosh Orientation to ensure all accessibility concerns are addressed and students receive adequate support. This Coordinator’s phone number will be accessible once you sign up for Frosh Orientation Week. You may also fill out our accessibility form to express your concerns.

Unfortunately, refunds are not possible due to the sizing of items, merchandise, and personally led experiences.