Fourth-Year Week: On your mark...get set...finish!

http://www.ocad.ca/students/articles_campus_life/20090302_fourth_year_week.htm

From February 23 to 27, 2009, OCAD celebrated its second annual Fourth-Year Week. The event, which commenced with a kick-off breakfast on Monday, is designed to celebrate the accomplishments of fourth-year students and acknowledge the end of their undergraduate careers. Many of the planned activities had a communal, celebratory vibe; among them, a fourth-year party, a potluck dinner and a skating party. The week also included career and post-graduate information sessions presented by the following professional organizations: Ontario Crafts Council, Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO), Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and XPACE. Among other events and offerings was a free seated massage, a drop-in résumé clinic, and an information session on repaying Ontario Student Assistance Program loans.

Now in its second year, Fourth-Year Week is the product of the collaborative efforts of administration, faculty and students. While the event was first initiated by Campus Life & Career Services, its various components are now organized by the Alumni Association, the Health & Wellness Centre and OCADSU. This year, many faculty members also provided lectures and gave career information.

Fourth-Year week is the brainchild of Brent Everett James, Student Life Coordinator with Campus Life & Career Services at OCAD. The idea came to James once he learned of a similar event hosted by American secondary schools. “The television was on and there happened to be a news story on an American channel about [high school] Seniors’ Week activities. I had my back to the TV, but I drifted into the program, and I thought it would be a great idea to try out at the university level.” James approached the Student Life & Support Services Committee, where the suggestion received positive response. Together, they agreed it would be implemented in 2008.

While other university campuses offer students events-based career support, OCAD’s Fourth-Year Week has a unique, celebratory focus. “There’s some fluffy fun with the pancake breakfast and the skating party, but there’s also the solidity of relevant professional presentations, which are designed to assist and inform students in the art and design fields,” says James. In so doing, the event recognizes the community ties that students have made during their time at OCAD; it also helps launch them into the career world.

Contentedly eating pancakes on Monday morning was Evan Bender, a fourth-year student completing his BDes in Industrial Design. He talked about how much he was looking forward to the week and how he planned to take advantage of all the events. In particular, he was interested in meeting with alumni at the Fourth-Year Party. “I’m looking for insight on how to start and maintain a business, and since our alumni have been out there, they probably have a grasp on what works, which ideas have failed, and which have succeeded.”

On Wednesday, February 25, students had the opportunity to participate in Speed Mentoring sessions sponsored by the OCAD Alumni Association. Not unlike “speed dating”— where potential partners meet, greet and move on in a matter of minutes — the Speed Mentoring sessions pair students with mentors from a wide range of fields for a series of short, 10-minute chats. The lineup of alumni mentors included: Daniel Borins, Jennifer Marman, Gary Clement, Pat Fairhead, Katherine Mulherin, Charles Officer, Geoffrey Pugen, Amanda J. Reeves, Dana Samuel, Robert Southcott, Maia-Mari Sutnik, Andrée Wejsmann, and Akira Yoshikawa. Other accomplished individuals who generously volunteered their time as mentors were: Marta Braun, Toni Hafkenscheid, Thrush Holmes, Tim Shore and Monica Tap.

Immediately following the Speed Mentoring sessions was the Alumni Association Honours Reception, designed to recognize those who have lent their support to OCAD with an Honourary Alumni designation or with an Emeritus designation. Recipients of the Honourary designation were: Peter Caldwell, Vice-President, Finance & Administration; J. Anthony Caldwell, Chair, OCAD Board of Governors; and John Vivash, Chair, OCAD Foundation. The recipients of an Emeritus designation were: Diane Royce, Chair, Studio Program, Alumni Association; Jill Hendry, Past Chair, Merchandise Committee, Alumni Association; David Berg, Past President, Alumni Association; Dawn Dougall, Council Member, Alumni Association; Keith Rushton, Chair, Graphic Design and Chair, Academic Council, OCAD; Jacqueline Loch, Past Treasurer, Alumni Association; Rodney Galbraith, Council Member, Alumni Association; Steven Boake, Past President, Alumni Association and Member, Board of Governors; and Edie Bergl, Past Secretary & Past Chair, Studio Program, Alumni Association.

A Fourth-Year Party led by OCAD alumnus DJ Pat C. with live visuals by the Black Light Association of Canada followed the Honours Reception. Food and drinks were provided and students had the opportunity to further mingle with alumni.

OCAD would like to extend a special thanks to the event sponsors: annan & sons, the OCAD Alumni Association, Hillebrand Estate Winery, Steam Whistle Brewing, Golden Griddle Family Restaurants, OCADSU, and Campus Life & Career Services.

By Veronika Lukacs, third-year Criticism & Curatorial Practice student at OCAD

http://www.ocad.ca/students/articles_campus_life/20090302_fourth_year_week.htm