CREDIT: FANSHAWEC.CA/EVENTBRITE.CA
This year, Fanshawe College's many campuses will be holding their spring open house on March 23.

Fanshawe College and its many campuses will be having their annual spring open house on March 23.

Roughly, over a thousand potential students and their families will be attending the event to learn more about their potential programs and what it’s like to attend Fanshawe.

The times for open house runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the main campus, downtown and other regional campuses, St. Thomas/Elgin, Simcoe/Norfolk and Woodstock/ Oxford, with minor differences being in Clinton campus’s schedule, running from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Tiverton campus from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Since it is such a large event, many personnel are required to run it.

Julia Westelaken, Fanshawe’s communications officer of events under reputation and brand management, said that volunteers are the cornerstone for helping run the open house.

“We really rely on our student volunteers to be the “eyes and ears” [of Fanshawe] and help people get around. As anyone who was a new student here at Fanshawe can attest, the buildings have weird names. They’re not always in alphabetical order. It is hard to find your way in the hallways when you are just looking at a map. So we do rely on our students to make the experience as seamless as possible as a student or parent coming here,” Westelaken said. “The students really do kind of hold their hands and walk them around throughout the campus.”

According to Westelaken, Fanshawe’s reputation and brand management in itself needed at least 270 volunteers to aid them at the main campus. These volunteers, Westelaken explained, will be helping with navigation across the campus. This includes helping lead students to the services or programs they are looking for, as well as directing those parking to an appropriate entrance to get where they need to in the college.

Individual programs, clubs, services and other facilities of the campus will also have their own volunteers working to ensure visitors can get to where they are headed.

Considering how busy open house can get, it is no wonder that volunteers have to work hard to ensure that the day runs smoothly. Westelaken said the volunteers work hard to show those coming in the pride they have in Fanshawe.

“I would say that the best thing about volunteering for open house is the ability to show your pride in your school. I know that when I went to college and university, I definitely wanted to show off where I was learning and the classes I could take, the facilities here and just show the pride that I had for my institution. It’s great to showcase that and meet prospective students who may be in your program or may be in another program at the school or also work directly with different departments in the college,” Westelaken said.

Each volunteer will be wearing a branded Fanshawe red shirt to be easily recognizable as a helper for those coming onto the campuses, while services on campus will also be wearing white shirts to be easily spotted for more information on Fanshawe’s supports and services for students attending the College.

On the day of the event, free parking will be available at the main campus. A shuttle will be running from Z building to London International Airport for those who want to see the aviation facilities, as well as to the downtown campuses for easier access.

Those still looking to volunteer at the other campuses can contact their program co-ordinators to inquire about helping out at open house.