Orientation Week (referred to as O-Week) is a week-long orientation where New Students are introduced to Rice and their respective Residential Colleges. Each Residential College hosts their own O-Week with their own theme and special events. This year, Martel's O-Week theme is CalicO-Week! O-Week will take place the week before classes begin (Aug. 18-24) and is meant to ease the transition into college-life and Rice culture. During CalicO-Week, New Students will be placed into groups with 9-10 other New Students and 4 Advisors that they will spend the bulk of the week with. Ideally, each New Student should leave O-Week with an understanding of academics at Rice and connections to peers and resources that will guide them through the rest of their time at Rice.
What Is An Advisor?
Advisors are returning Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who serve as mentors for New Students during and after O-Week. Each group will have 3 Advisors from Martel and 1 Co-Advisor from a different Residential College. They will lead the New Students from event to event and remain both a friend and a resource throughout each New Student's first year at Rice. Advisors spend the week before O-Week planning for their group and personalizing it to each New Student, so that each feels supported and seen.
What Happens?
O-Week is 50% Academics and 50% Bonding. Part of the week is spent learning how to navigate the various academic resources Rice has to offer as well as planning course schedules for the Fall semester. This is done in tandem with Peer Academic Advisors (PAAs), Faculty Advisors, and representatives from the Office of Academic Advising (OAA). The rest of O-Week is spent acclimating to Rice culture, learning about Martel and its traditions, and building connections with peers! This is done through college-specific bonding events as well as cross-college activities.
Our Mission
Throughout CalicO-Week, we aim to foster a community of inclusivity, empowerment, and curiosity for New Students to flourish in. Here at Meow-tel, we aim to provide a sense of comfort within our litter that is accessible and welcoming to all. Just like not all cats share the same breed, we recognize that not all students share the same background and welcome those from all cat-walks of life. We believe that our differences should be celebrated and acknowledge the strength that our diverse perspectives bring to both Martel and the broader Rice community. Every cat should feel confident in their own coat of fur and embrace their purr-sonality.
CalicO-Week aims to provide each student with the tools for success at Rice and unleash their killer instinct in the classroom. Simultaneously, we emphasize the importance of mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing and prioritize taking cat-naps so you don’t wear down your whiskers. The new litter of students should leave CalicO-Week with the confidence to pounce on opportunities and let their curiosity run wild. We hope to foster a paw-sitive environment that gives you the courage to explore the variety of opportunities Rice and Houston have to offer.
On behalf of Rice, we welcome you to Martel and can’t wait to see the many meow-tastic moments that await you!