Orientation and Welcome Weeks Winter 2025
The Office of Opportunity & Belonging along with the rest of the Office of Student Experience are working closely with SUNSCAD to bring you an exciting variety of events, welcoming you to NSCAD University. These events will give you the opportunity to connect with your student union, meet new friends, and get a taste of what NSCAD has to offer.
The entire NSCAD Community is thrilled to welcome you as you start your academic journey with us. We invite you to join us on January 6th at Orientation Day for all new incoming NSCAD students.
Attendance is strongly encouraged for all new students, as the activities planned will provide you with an opportunity to tour the campus, connect with the Senior Administration, the Office of Student Experience, staff, faculty, and each other, and learn about how we as a NSCAD Community will support and guide you through your studies here.
At this event, you will also collect your Student ID, access card, and much more!
Location: Orientation Day will begin at the Fountain Campus in the FAB (1873 Granville Street), but you will also visit Port Campus where many of your Foundation Year Courses will be held. You will receive an email after you RSVP that will provide you more details on the day as the date approaches.
9–10 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
Arrive, register, grab coffee and snacks. This is where you’ll pick up your student ID, access card, and other important documents to keep handy throughout the academic year.
10–10:45 a.m. Orientation Day Presentation – Getting to know NSCAD
- Learn about and meet representatives from several important offices and services on campus that will support you through your time at NSCAD
- Test your knowledge with an interactive BINGO game and compete to win a prize pack filled with NSCAD merchandise!
10:45 -11:00 a.m. Travel Time & Bio Break
- Grab a quick snack, a drink of water, and stop by the washroom on your way to the 2nd Floor of Duke Block for the NSCAD Opportunities Expo.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. NSCAD Opportunities Fair
- Looking for a specific office or support at NSCAD? Want to meet faculty and technicians from your program? Interested in meeting like-minded folks through a club or society? Note: this event is open to all incoming and returning students.
- Various services and resources (internal and external) will be present so you can learn more about how to get involved in university life and get situated in K’jipuktuk (Halifax)
12 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch!
- Catered Lunch will be generously provided by SUNSCAD, the Student Union of NSCAD University. Be sure to grab a bite to eat with your new classmates. This is a great time to make new pals and plan which Welcome Weeks social events you’ll attend
1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Campus Tours!
- NSCAD is a unique and charming collection of hallways, classrooms, and many special nooks and crannies. We will guide you through our Fountain and Port Campus buildings and point out important spaces, studios, and offices along the way. If you are interested in a tour of Academy Campus reach out to admissions@nscad.ca to make arrangements for another date
- A shuttle will transport students from Fountain to Port Campus and back following the tours, please let us know if there are accommodations needed around travel
- Groups will be accompanied by a Student Tour Guide and Office of Student Experience staff member
Don’t forget! Orientation Day is just one event in a series of activities throughout the first weeks of classes to get you situated at our school, help you learn more about what we offer, and introduce you to your future collaborators and co-conspirators. Visit the full schedule (below) and save the date for our exciting events coming up in September as they are announced.
Reach out to belong@nscad.ca if you have any questions about these activities.
We can’t wait to meet you!
FAB, 1873 Granville Street January 10th, 8-10:30pm Join us for an evening of live music brought to you by the talented students, staff, and faculty of NSCAD. Open to the NSCAD community to share their talents in the performing arts, this evening will be hosted by local band, Bibingkita, a group of pals from South-East Asia, who will bring their musical talents and contagious energy to the FAB. If you’d like to perform and have questions about the tech available in the FAB to support your act, please reach out to Nick & Neive on our Events team by emailing Nick and Neive (nfassbender@nscad.ca and nshannondwyer@nscad.ca) or stay tuned for more info on Instagram about tech specs to come. Some of what we have in the FAB includes: Event is open to those 16+, government issued ID will be required to enter. Free non-alcoholic drinks provided. There will be limited alcoholic drinks available at the event via drink tickets for those 19+ FAB, 1873 Granville Street January 13, 7-9pm Join the Office of Opportunity & Belonging for an evening of sex trivia hosted by Venus Envy’s Rachele Manett, this evening will be all about learning new things about sexual health, sexuality, gender diversity, and more! Come with a team to play or make friends when you arrive, we’ll play a few rounds of trivia with NSCAD merch and Venys Envy toys and treats as prizes at the end. Don’t worry– there will be lots of time for our local accessible sex-pert, Rachele, to answer YOUR questions anonymously! Remarks from our Student Educator on the Waves of Change Project, Lorelei, to learn more about how you can get involved with Waves of Change and creating a campus culture of consent. We hope you join us for this fun, informative, queer-affirming, and consent focused evening! FAB, 1873 Granville Street January 15th, 6-9pm This year our games night is hosted in partnership by the Office of Student Experience and the NSCAD Games Club. We’ll provide a series of tabletop games as well as a Mario Kart competition on the big screen with prizes! This is a great night to meet our team from the Office of Student Experience! They’re the lovely humans who have been in touch throughout the Admissions process, supporting you with accommodations, academic advising, and more. It’s also a wonderful time to connect with student leader, Chen and learn more about Board Game Club! After-Anna Karaoke Night January 20th, 7-10pm The After Anna – a historic NSCAD favourite – has seen some of NSCAD’s most memorable celebrations of student’s artwork, so we love to make sure we host this NSCAD staple during Welcome Weeks. Come join us after the Anna Leonowens & Treaty Space gallery openings to kick of this semester of art making, both in and outside the studio. Event is open to those 16+, government issued ID will be required to enter. Free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks provided. There will be limited wine and beer available at the event via drink tickets for those 19+ FAB, 1873 Granville Street January 22nd, 5:30- 7:30pm Hosted by NSCAD student, Nour Beydoun, this workshop invites students to explore the traditional Palestinian cross-stitch art–Tatreez. Tatreez is a cross-stitching art with Palestinian motifs that has been practiced for thousands of years, replicating agriculture and the natural world including stars, trees, plants, flowers, and birds. All materials will be provided. Photo Credit: Clem Oliver Fountain Campus D241 (Drawing Studio), Bell Auditorium & Halifax Central Library January 21st-30th, various times This year, the Big Draw, drawing marathon is happening during Welcome Weeks! With Artist Talks, Workshops, and lots of long hours (3pm-3am) of collaborative artmaking, you won’t want to miss this event! Please note, this event is not hosted by the Office of Opportunity & Belonging and registration is required: Drawing Marathon Sign Up (you will need to sign into Brightspace) Drawing Workshop Sign Up (limited spaces for students only, RSVP required) Photo Credit: Keely Hopkins Port Campus, 2nd Floor January 31st, 8pm-12am NSCAD favourite, Rat Dance– by students, for students– is the perfect time to come unwind and wrap-up a busy back-to-school season at the Port Campus. Event is open to those 16+, government issued ID will be required to enter. Free non-alcoholic drinks provided. There will be limited beer and wine available at the event via drink tickets for those 19+ Entertainment lineup to be announced. Photo Credit: Jair Armstrong Interested in any of these events? RSVP here: https://forms.nscad.ca/form?form_id=366016 NSCAD Open Mic
Head, Heart + Handies
NSCAD Family Games Night
Are you looking for a low-key evening of activities to get to know fellow students and find your space in the NSCAD community? Join us for NSCAD Family Games Night! 
FAB, 1873 Granville Street Tatreez Workshop
Big Draw Night 2.0 – Drawing Events & Two-Day Drawing Marathon
Rat Dance
Indigenous Arts Workshop
Drawing Studio D241, Fountain Campus
TBA
All NSCAD students are invited to celebrate and learn about Mi’kmaw history and culture through traditional art forms and storytelling.