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USC to welcome 3,200 new students
The University of the Sunshine Coast will next week officially welcome its largest group of new students and celebrate a major milestone in its growth.
With 3,200 new students enrolling in time for Orientation Week (14-18 February), USC’s total student population is expected to surpass 8,000 for the first time when Semester 1 begins on 21 February.
This is more than double the number of students who were studying at the University seven years ago.
During Orientation, USC will stage a series of faculty welcome events, the largest of which will be for students in the Faculty of Science, Health and Education from 9-10am on Tuesday 15 February.
Similar events for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and for the Faculty of Business will be held on Wednesday and Thursday mornings respectively.
The University will offer a range of academic and social activities, including free daily barbecue lunches, live entertainment and sporting events, throughout the week.
Tuesday will be the biggest day of O-Week with a community market that features market stalls, information booths, cultural activities and a clothing exchange run by a new group called Sustainability in Style.
The University also will launch an innovative U-pass scheme on Tuesday, providing many students with subsidised bus travel in a trial program supported by USC, Sunshine Coast Council and TransLink.
A highlight on Wednesday will be the annual Great Court Race from 12.30pm (weather permitting).
Wednesday also will be the day for students to sign up for a variety of clubs and teams at the USC Sports and Societies Day, take part in social sport activities or board games at lunch time or even try their hand at fire twirling and hula hooping from 2-3pm.
Other events during the week will include a “World Cup” FUTSAL carnival from 3-5pm on Thursday, bus tours of the Coast’s beaches, hinterland, residential and business centres of Friday and a two-day trip to the USC Research Centre on Fraser Island, starting Friday morning.
— Terry Walsh