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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 24 ,2 02 2 | 14 Thank you to local small businesses who have supported our community over the past two years despite facing unprecedented challenges. Now it's time we support them. Let's shop local! Pam Damoff, MP Oakville North-Burlington 905-847-4043 Pam.Damoff@parl.gc.ca @PamDamoff Hon. Anita Anand, MP Oakville 905-338-2008 Anita.anand@parl.gc.ca @AnitaAnandMP Starting university is one of life's big mile- stones. It's a time when young people begin to un- derstand who they are, be- come more independent, meet new people and build community. The experience is often equal parts exciting and anxiety-inducing. Start- ing university during a global pandemic adds an- other level of uncertainty without the comfort of personal connection to help assuage fears and build confidence. For universities, one of the big hurdles we all now face is how to welcome new students and make them feel part of our com- munity. The first year is a time when students start to learn what their chosen university is all about, its values, as well as all the many resources available to them. Before the pan- demic, this all happened on campus and in person. Thankfully, for each of the many challenges the COVID-19 pandemic con- tinues to put in front of us, there is also an opportuni- ty to innovate and do bet- ter. This is one of the les- sons that has carried us through the last two years. To help ease the transi- tion of first- and second- year undergraduate stu- dents and enhance their experience, Ryerson put together the First-Year Experience Initiative. This project team de- veloped NavigateRU, a website and unique pro- gram designed to help our newest students build confidence as they make the leap to this next stage in their lives and prepare them to navigate the uni- versity experience virtu- ally. The initiative worked closely with our Tri-Men- toring Program (TMP), which has helped more than 20,000 students tran- sition to university life through peer-to-peer, group and career mentor- ing since its inception nearly 20 years ago. The result: a compre- hensive program based on well-established learn- ings and best practices, available on PeopleGrove the TMP Community Por- tal. NavigateRU offers learning modules and re- sources to help students understand and navigate the key themes or path- ways of student life: iden- tity, well-being, communi- ty, learning, systems and structures, and create the university experience they want for themselves. These learning mod- ules are asynchronous and students can access them online as they need them, and/or enhance their learning by register- ing for the NavigateRU program. By providing a way to connect and offer encour- agement and support when in-person interac- tion is not possible, Navi- gateRU is the bridge tak- ing students from one chapter in their lives to this new chapter. It has be- come an important tool, letting students know it's OK to be nervous, to em- brace their feelings and to ask for help when they need it. Mohamed Lachemi is president and vice-chan- cellor of Ryerson Uni- versity. BUILDING CONNECTION IN A VIRTUAL WORLD OPINION: OUR CHANGED WORLD PROGRAM AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO SUPPORT STUDENTS, SAYS LACHEMI MOHAMED LACHEMI Column