student life

Behind the scenes: Herts Freshers 2015

9 years ago
by Kealie Mardell

At the University of Hertfordshire, our new students moved in at the end of September, but it’s genuinely taken me this long to recover. Now, I’m not writing this as another fresher who enjoyed one too many nights at The Forum (our on-campus club) but rather as my first time working Freshers’ Week with the Hertfordshire Students Union. 

I can tell you first hand that being behind the scenes for Freshers’ mainly involves lots of late nights and early mornings, not including the weeks of planning beforehand. It’s manic and stressful, you don’t eat or sleep properly, and it proves that freshers’ flu isn’t just for the students! 

However, putting all of that aside I can honestly say it was a great experience. I never got to be a part of the whole moving in thing, as I commuted throughout my time at Herts, so having the opportunity to see the other side of Freshers’ this time round was an opportunity not to be missed. 

Herts Freshers 2015

Our Freshers’ Week kicked off with moving in weekend on 26 September. We recruited and trained around 200 Freshers’ Angel volunteers to help all of our new students throughout the weekend. It was astounding to see the amount of stuff some of them brought with them and I felt sorry for the volunteers who took the brunt of the heavy loads! Thank you all! 
 

Our student media team, Trident Media, were also on hand playing music from Crush Radio and filming across the weekend. 

[video:https://youtu.be/NBMYjU8_y4M]

The third night of Freshers’ events at The Forum, held the following Monday, saw Kevin from American Pie taking to the stage with his band for an American Pie Frat Party. Other acts for Freshers’ Week included The Pigeon Detectives, Gorgon City, DJ EZ and more. 
 

Needless to say, the nights out were taking their toll on some people… 
 

On Tuesday, Trident Media also ran a Give it a Go! takeover event, letting new students try their hand at photography, writing, filming and presenting for print, radio and TV. Also taking place was retro themed Roler Disco in club deHav! 
 

Moving onto Wednesday, in the build up to another night out at The Forum, Herts Halls League hosted their second Halls Party, bringing free food, music and entertainment to students living on campus. 
 

On Thursday, I helped run some 5 Minute Volunteering sessions. We had students registering as volunteers, fundraising for Raise and Give, taking part in a photo challenge to tell us why they volunteer, and making cards to send to poorly children. These little tasters were a great way to get people interested in volunteering, and to show how easy it can be to make a difference. 
 

Friday saw the jam-packed Freshers’ Fair on our College Lane campus, housing hundreds of societies, charities, uni services and local businesses, and of course, LOTS of freebies! This was the chance to check out the massive array on offer at the university, and sign up to start getting involved. 
 

Our final Freshers’ event was the explosive Ultimate Colour Fest. This 3K obstacle filled run around Ellenbrook Fields saw students getting down and dirty, climbing hay bales and being covered in paint. With music from Crush Radio keeping the energy high, as most people were probably nursing their freshers’ hangovers, this was an impressive event that our students will definitely remember. 

[video:https://youtu.be/VuQHCdYizqs]

I’m sure there’s so many extra events that I’ve missed but hopefully that was enough to give you a taste of what Herts Freshers has to offer! All in all, working for Freshers’ Week is an exhausting but exhilerating experience.

Behind the scenes there are countless members of staff and volunteers giving their all to give you the most memorable start to university as possible. Personally, I’d like to thank the team at Trident, my Angels, and the Dream Team for keeping me going! 

 
What was the highlight of your Freshers’ Week? Have your say in the comments section below!

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