Winter House Calls for First Year Students

University of Guelph staff and faculty are invited to participate in Student Housing's Winter House Calls Program - COVID-19 edition. 

The goal is to continue to provide support for U of G first-year on-campus and Gryphon Nest students. The calls provide students the opportunity to share a bit about their experience and ask questions. The role of callers is to provide resources, warm referrals, help normalize their experience and continue sharing that our University community cares about their wellbeing and success.

Details

• House Calls will take place over the course of a full week this semester March 22^nd – 26^th to provide volunteers more flexibility to schedule calls and connect with students.
• House Callers will be given a list of students, a template introductory email and will have the flexibility to schedule the times for their connections. These materials will be provided approximately one week before the program,  providing you time to connect in advance of the calling period. 
• For students who choose to opt out of receiving a call, callers will be able to send a follow-up email outlining resources they can access.
• Student Housing will continue to try to align callers requests to connect with students from specific faculties.
• Fall House Callers will be given an opportunity to opt in to connect with the same students they spoke with earlier this year.
• If you do not have a UofG email we can assign you temporary access to an email account. Please make sure you email Hayley at hmcnamar@uoguelph.ca to set this up.
• All House Callers will be added to a Microsoft Team Chat where questions can be answered and connections between volunteers can be made. You can remove yourself from the team should you choose!

Prior to the week of House Calls, an Orientation session will be run on March 15^th.  If you are not available for this time, a recording will be sent so you can learn more about the program and any changes to this semester’s House Calls. During this session, we will provide you with the information you need to have a successful chat. Calls will generally start with you introducing yourself to the student, sharing some general key messages, answering questions, and sharing back any follow-up that would be needed. Students who connect with you will have a chance to win some awesome prizes!

If you are interested in volunteering, please register by 9:00 a.m. on Friday, March 5^th.

Questions? Contact Pat Kelly at pkelly03@uoguelph.ca.