Tribune News Network
Doha
The Student Housing and Residential Life Department at Qatar University (QU) hosted a week-long orientation for the academic year 2024-2025. During the event, students were introduced to various departments and services available at the university and familiarised themselves with the campus facilities.
The orientation was also an opportunity for students to experience various facets of Qatari culture and celebrate their own unique identities and cultures. Students were also taken to a number of notable destinations in Qatar including the Museum of Islamic Art.
The activities and programmes were designed to build a cohesive residential community through interactive and group activities that encourage students to get to know each other and build positive relationships with their peers. This would help prepare students for a successful and comfortable residential life, enhance their engagement with the university and residential community in an effective and positive manner, and facilitate their adaptation to campus life. The orientation also included an introduction to the basic rules and procedures of housing management, as well as an overview of their rights and responsibilities.
One of the students, Valeria Tsurykokva from Ukraine, commented, "This is a great opportunity to study Arabic. Students from different countries can come here and immerse themselves in Arabic and grammar. We can also practise speaking with native speakers, which is a great opportunity for us.”
Uyen Bui, another new student from Vietnam said of the orientation, "It has been fun and I met many new friends and learned a lot from others and their respective countries. The facilities in the dorm are very convenient. All week long, we have been joining in activities.”
Mariam Omsarashvili, from Georgia, said, "I am a new student, I just arrived two weeks ago. I chose Qatar University, because it offers great scholarships. When I saw how supported students are I knew it was a good opportunity.” She adds, "The orientation is fun and educational, because we get to learn about each other’s cultures. It’s always interesting to get involved with a group of people and to get to know them on a cultural level.”
Participating departments included the Volunteer & Civic Engagement section, the Transportation section, and Campus Security Department.
Amal Al-Shamari, a student organisation advisor from the Student Activities Department, said, "Our participation is crucial for introducing and attracting student residents to the existing student life and showing them how they can become more involved in the clubs. We have over 80 clubs and student organisations catering to various cultures and academic and non-academic interests. We hope that our participation today will open up opportunities for students to join these leadership teams as members and benefit from the offered programmes. Today’s interaction in the student housing has been excellent, as it includes students from different colleges, representing various nationalities. By joining the student clubs, they can achieve more goals and have greater engagement with the campus community.”