By You Wu, Orientation Chair

Volunteers grilling at last year’s orientation BBQ. Courtesy of SP Photofile Committee

Dear new residents,

Welcome to Sidney Pacific! Sidney Pacific (SP) is a culturally diverse and socially active community, and we are very excited to have you here. Our lovely SP volunteers, together with the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and the rest of the MIT community, have prepared a long list of orientation events to celebrate your arrival. These are great opportunities for you to make new friends and dive in to the MIT and SP community. I would like to take this opportunity to give you a preview of what to expect in your orientation.

The first popular event is the annual SP Orientation BBQ and Movie night on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Come out to the SP courtyard around 6pm and enjoy a night of magic. The tasty food prepared by the master cooks in our community will bring new residents and old residents together. Remember to bring your ID so you can grab a beer with your new friends at the cash bar. In addition to food and drink, you can also win prizes in the mini games. Among the prizes there are workout products from Force Factor and gift cards from Zipcar. Later that night, see Oz the Great and Powerful on a giant outdoor movie screen! We hope that you will enjoy your very first outdoor movie at MIT.

Orientation dance party. Courtesy of SP Photofile committee

Many new students ask what a weekend at MIT is like. I would like to answer this question by inviting you to the 2013 SP Dance Party on Friday night, Sept. 6. Again this party will be in the SP courtyard. DJ BIG from WPOT Hot 97 Boston radio station is leading this giant outdoor dance party to kick off your new semester. Wear a tie or a costume for a chance to win a free drink. Cash bar for alcohol will also be available. Our SP Dance Cam will broadcast your hottest moves live. Now it is my turn to ask you a question: are you ready for a MIT weekend?

Do you want to know MIT like the back of your hand? Here comes the MITourists 2013: Photo Scavenger Hunt. Starting at 3pm on Sunday Sept 8, teams of participants will be sent to explore the campus and bring back pictures of requested landmarks. You will know MIT campus much better after this Scavenger Hunt. Sign up early on http://goo.gl/bF9RYX so we can put you into teams and prepare dinner for you.

In addition to these three events, there are many other orientation activities to help you get ready for a new life at MIT. Other in-house events such as Orientation Brunch on the First of September and Orientation Coffee Hour on Sept. 4 have been extremely popular in the past, and I strongly encourage you to be there. Be sure to check out the SP calendar and GSC event schedule for the complete list of events. We are looking forward to meeting each and every single one of you!

Sincerely,
You Wu

Orientation Calendar 2013