Welcome Week 2013

160 new people joined the New College Village (NCV) in the first two months of the year. During the last week of February NCV held its annual ‘Welcome Week’ to celebrate the arrival of the new residents and to help new and returning residents form friendships and have fun. Check out the Welcome Week Photo Gallery to see more photographs.

Sunday

Many new residents had recently arrived in Sydney from overseas and interstate so a tour of the city to see the iconic Opera House and The Rocks made for happy snapping.

Monday

On Monday evening new residents met the Master, Dean, Senior Residents and Frank the Fat Penguin at a formal welcome.

Senior Residents gave the new residents a tour of the University with the helpful yellow-shirts.

A supper-crawl was held and residents went from floor to floor snacking and getting to know one another and the building.

Tuesday

Frank got friendly. The NCV mascot, Frank the Fat Penguin, ran a speed-dating style event for new residents followed by drinks and canapés.

Wednesday

NCV Residents donned dashing suits and cocktail dresses and embarked on the ‘The Classy Crawl’ to discover the fanciest establishments in Sydney.

For those who prefer a hot cup of coffee a group visited Sydney’s bohemian styled cafes.

Thursday

The Dean of NCV, Dr John Quinn, is undoubtedly the quizmaster. On Thursday night NCV residents battled it out to become NCV’s Intellectual Champions.

Friday

The Senior Ministry Residents Jesse and Olivia hosted a welcome to Christian Life at NCV and let the new residents know about local churches, NCV services and bible studies.

There is nothing more Australian than a snag (sausage), steak and chicken on the barbie. The NCV Senior Resident Team cooked up a storm while the NCV bank provided live music.

Above: Three of our Senior Residents enjoying the Karaoke

Later residents had the opportunity to bring out their singing voices for karaoke.

Saturday

Above: One group enjoying the 'Amazing Race' around Sydney

Residents braved a little rain to be amazing. Their map reading and puzzle solving skills were tested in the Sydney CBD as teams battled it out to win the NCV Amazing Race.

PhD, Masters by Research, Honours and ILP students took a break to meet each other over cheese and wine.

Sunday

The courtyard was converted to a badminton arena while in the games room a table tennis competition provided entertainment for those residents sitting back and relaxing with delicious ice-cream and pancakes.

Later that night the NCV courtyard became an open air cinema for a movie night as the final event of Welcome Week.

New NCV residents had a great time getting to know one another in Welcome Week 2013. By the beginning of Week 1 many new friendships had been formed that may well last a lifetime.

Welcome Week 2013

O'Week 2012

The year kicks off at NCV with an O’Week program. The aim of O’Week is to introduce our residents to each other, to the local community and to Sydney. It’s a great time of building new friendships and finding your feet, with a little help, in a new place. One of the challenges at NCV is that some of our residents (PhD and MBA students) have already been at uni for a month or two by the time O’Week rolls around. Even so, a week of organized social events can be the perfect way to break up the relentlessness of study!

The week began with a tour of Sydney. On Sunday 19th February, students set off to Circular Quay, to check out Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House. After that, the group hopped on one of Sydney’s famous harbor ferries, and headed across to the seaside suburb of Manly for a walk along the beach… and an ice cream.

On Monday, new residents were officially welcomed to NCV by the Master and Dean. After the formalities, the students joined a “Supper Crawl”, moving from floor to floor of the NCV building to meet the Senior Resident team. Residents enjoyed a different snack on each floor as well as the opportunity to meet other NCV residents (both new and old).

Tuesday of O’Week saw the inaugural Fat Penguin Night, NCV’s own original “ice breaker”. Borrowing from “speed-dating” but without any romantic objective, residents circulated, spending two minutes with each other before moving on to the next person. The evening was preceded by drinks and canapés in the MCR.

For Wednesday night’s activity, residents descended on the Main Common Room for an O’Week favorite, the annual NCV Trivia Night. Residents competed alongside their floormates for trivia supremacy. Level 4 snuck home in a thriller, beating Level 2 by one and a half points.

On Thursday night residents hit some of the classy cocktail bars in the city, at NCV’s annual 5-Star Hotel Crawl. Destinations included the Shangri La’s Blu Bar on 36, the Opera Bar at the Sydney Opera House and the ECQ Bar at Quay Grand. Residents enjoyed a quiet drink with great company and magnificent views.

On Friday afternoon interested folk gathered for the Local Church Services Introduction (at 5 pm), at which the Senior Ministry Resident gave new residents some guidance in what to look for in a new church. Residents also promoted their own congregations, and introduced some of the various ministry opportunities available on campus and within NCV. After this the Senior Resident Team cooked up a delicious barbecue of steaks, chicken fillet, sausages and vegetarian patties. This was followed by karaoke in the Main Common Room. Nathan and Michaels’ version of Thunderstruck by AC/DC was a hit, along with the Senior Resident Team’s version of Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler.

Early on Saturday evening the researchers of NCV gathered in the Main Common Room for some wine and nibbles. NCV is home to a number of PhD, Honours and ILP students, and effort is made to get the researchers mixing together from early in the year. At 8 pm focus turned to the Roof Top Terrace for the NCV Wine & Cheese Night, where residents could sample a range of wine and cheeses from across Australia.

Sunday afternoon saw NCVers head to Kensington Bowling Club for a quiet afternoon of Lawn Bowls. It was the perfect way to round out an enjoyable week of getting to know each other.

O'Week 2012

O'Weekend was a great success at NCV

At the start of each semester the NCV community welcomes its new residents with an O’Week program.  The aim of the O’Week program is to help students familiarize themselves with Sydney, the University, and, most importantly, the NCV community. For Semester Two 2011 an O’Weekend program was held from Friday 15^th July – Sunday 17^th July. The program included a Trivia Night, a day trip to Circular Quay and Manly, our Annual Cultural Night and an afternoon of sports at the University Gymnasium (indoor soccer and badminton). 
 

For the Trivia Night, residents were divided into teams alphabetically, and their knowledge of entertainment and pop culture, sport, music, history and geography was tested with a series of quiz questions.  As an example, residents were challenged to name seven South American capital cities, the three types of blade used in Olympic Fencing, and the first names of cycling’s Schleck brothers.  Residents’ aural skills were also tested, the challenge being to identify artists as diverse as Kate Bush, Moloko, The Jackson Five and Kelis with only a 10-20sec excerpt.

The day trip took students through the CBD to the popular tourist destination and transport hub of Circular Quay.  After a few snaps in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, residents took the famous Manly Ferry to the beachside suburb of Manly, for a short walk and some hot chocolate.

The Cultural Night was a real highlight, with students showcasing their various cultures through food, dress, general info, and music.  Countries represented were Australia, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.  A separate post on this event will appear soon. 

On the Sunday afternoon those residents keen on sports gathered for a game of indoor soccer and badminton at the University Gymnasium. This provided an opportunity both to meet NCV’s other keen sportspeople but also to check out some of the University’s sporting facilities. 

O'Weekend was a great success at NCV

Cultural Night a Great Start to Semester

The NCV community is highly culturally diverse, with over 40 different nationalities represented.  At present there are residents from every continent, as well as from Pacific nations such as New Zealand and French Polynesia.  With such a diverse community, living at NCV provides a unique opportunity to meet people from many other places and learn about different cultures. 
 

As part of our Semester 2 O’Weekend, NCV hosted its Annual Cultural Night.  This event provided students with the opportunity to showcase their various cultures through food, dress, national symbols, general info, and music.  Countries represented at the 2011 Cultural Night were Australia, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.  

A particular highlight was provided by those residents who donned their traditional dress for the evening.  To see residents in traditional costumes from India, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh highlighted the rich multicultural tapestry of the NCV community.

 

Cultural Night a Great Start to Semester

Orientation Week 2011

In 2011 NCV ran its second O’Week program, with the aim of helping residents to settle in and get to know other people. The O’Week program was organized by the Dean and Senior Residents, and included a number of different events.

The week began with two tours of Sydney. On Saturday 19th February, students set off to the Sydney Fish Markets for some delicious lunch, and then went on a walking tour to “Explore Sydney, Its Stories and Secrets”.  The following day (Sunday 20th) saw students head down to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, before taking a ferry across the Harbour to the famous Manly Beach for some ice cream.

On Monday 21st February, new residents were officially welcomed to NCV by the Master, Professor Trevor Cairney, and the Dean Dr John Quinn at a reception in the Main Common Room.  After the formalities, the students joined a supper crawl, moving from floor to floor of the NCV building to meet the Senior Resident team, enjoying a different snack on each floor and meeting other residents (both new and old) as well.

The NCV Building (Sydney City in Background)

For students it’s essential to know where and when to see a good film at a cheap price. For UNSW students and NCV residents the most common destination for this is the Ritz Cinema at The Spot in Randwick on Tuesday night.  So on the Tuesday of O’Week, residents gathered in the courtyard at 6 pm and headed off to the Ritz to see “The King’s Speech” at 7:10 pm. The Spot is also the place for food and dessert, so after the film residents stopped off to enjoy some coffee and cake.

On Wednesday 23rd February two events were held.  Firstly, The Dean hosted a “Research Student Mixer” between 6.30 and 7.30 pm on the Roof Top Terrace. The aim of this event was to introduce the research students to each other, helping to form links between residents embarking on research degrees. This was followed by the NCV Trivia Night (8-10pm), where residents competed alongside their floormates for trivia supremacy. Level 3 carried the day, pipping Level 6 by a single point, with Level 4 a single point further behind.

NCV Residents Enjoying Cocktails

Thursday 24th February saw residents hit some of the classy cocktail bars in the city, at NCV’s Inaugural 5-Star Hotel Crawl.  Destinations included the Shangri La’s Blu Bar on 36, the Opera Bar at the Sydney Opera House and the ECQ Bar at Quay Grand.  Residents enjoyed a quiet drink with great company and magnificent views.

On Friday 25th February the Senior Resident Team cooked up a delicious barbecue of steaks, chicken fillet, sausages and vegetarian patties.  This was followed by a night of theatre sports and other games, with residents able to find their inner thespian or harness their as-to-now undiscovered comedic genius.

Lawn Bowls

Saturday afternoon saw NCVers head to Kensington Bowling Club for a quiet afternoon of Lawn Bowls. After this interested folk gathered for the Local Church Services Introduction (at 5 pm), at which the Dean gave new residents some guidance in what to look for in a new church.  Residents also promoted their own congregations, and introduced some of the various ministry opportunities available within NCV. At 8 pm focus turned to the Roof Top Terrace for the Inaugural NCV Wine & Cheese Night.  Along with enjoying some delicious wine and cheese, residents also had the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of wine, ranking wines in order of price and identifying varietals.

The curtain came down on O’Week 2011 with a Sunday of sport.  Residents headed across to the University Gymnasium at 11 am for Badminton, basketball & Indoor Soccer. Once again, this was a great chance for residents to meet other sports-minded people, as well as check out some of the local sporting facilities.

Circular Quay at night

Orientation Week 2011

NCV O'Week Activities 2010

While our predominantly postgraduate residents arrive at different times, we have planned an extensive O'Week program to help orient everyone to the community and University life.

The program started on Sunday with a 'Sampling Tour' of beautiful Sydney. This involved taking public transport to the city and touring all the sites before taking a ferry across the harbour to the famous Many Beach area. The residents who went had a fantastic time.

Over the rest of the week we have many other great events planned.

Monday (8-10pm)

Dean's introduction to NCV life and Pancakes for supper

Tuesday (12-2pm)

Treasure Hunt in the Local Area to discover all the key shops, resources and places of interest near to the NCV and the campus.

Wednesday Night

Research Student 'mixer (6.30-7.30pm)
Trivia Night (8-10pm)

Thursday (8-10.30pm)

Movie Night Under the Stars in the NCV Courtyard

Friday (4-8.30pm)

Bush Dance ('Currency Lads' band) and BBQ

Saturday

Lawn Bowls at Kensington Bowling Club (2-4pm)
Badminton & Indoor Soccer (6-8pm)
Local Church Services Introduction (5pm)

Sunday

Floor by Floor Activities - Each floor to have its own social activity

NCV O'Week Activities 2010