Back to school! At the beginning of September, 187 new students arrived on the Rouen campus, ready for a new academic adventure. Whether engineers or veterinarians in the making, they are also getting ready to discover student life at UniLaSalle Rouen. The integration team and the Bureau Des Étudiants (BDE) have taken up the challenge of making this first week, and this year, memorable.
Focus on integration week, first steps at UniLaSalle Rouen
As soon as they arrive, new recruits are warmly welcomed to the campus by the integration team. A week full of discoveries and activities awaits them! For Lisa, president of the association that organizes the week, “the aim is to make the transition from high school to higher education as smooth as possible”. Each year, a competition is held to elect the integration team. For the 2024-2025 academic year, Lisa and 18 other second-year engineering and veterinary students have been chosen to lead the association for a few months. Their mission? To create real inter- and intra-promotional cohesion even before classes start, and to familiarize them with their new city and their new school.
On the program: sports and fun activities, evenings and meals with a variety of themes, a few lectures, discovering the city and, above all, the opportunity to create their first memories at UniLaSalle Rouen! According to new student Maitena, "The integration week was great, I was able to meet my class without stress, make friends, and the team was top-notch. I'll always remember it as a great experience." Anaïs, also new to the school, adds, “It was easy to integrate and feel at ease for years to come.”
This integration week, the fruit of several months' preparation, is also an opportunity for the organizers to acquire valuable skills that are sometimes different from their training. Budget management, event organization, recruitment, sponsorship and solving unforeseen problems... an enriching experience for all, which also brought them much closer together. Victoria, from the communications department, says she has “grown from this adventure and several months' work”.
Meet the BDE, a pillar of the 35 campus associations
And student life at UniLaSalle Rouen doesn't stop at integration - quite the contrary! Martin, president of the BDE (Bureau Des Etudiants) for the past few months, explains: “We are the link between the administration, employees and students, and we organize events throughout the year.” Indeed, the BDE has a multitude of clubs under its wing, and works with other campus associations such as the Bureau des Sports, Make it Green, the Gala Association and many others to offer students a diversity of activities on a daily basis. Bee-keeping, dance, music, arts and crafts, discovering different campus cultures... a chance for everyone to discover new interests or hone their talents! And that's not all: UniLaSalle Rouen's traditional events will also continue. From sports competitions (Kick-Off, Unilympiades,...) to festive evenings (annual Gala, graduation dinner), solidarity actions and the ski week, the year has plenty to offer!
The BDE's one-year mandate is a highly formative experience for its members, who juggle the management of numerous responsibilities with their studies. A high degree of adaptability and personal organization is required! According to Martin, their main objective this year is to “bring the graduating classes closer together”. And to achieve this, they are redoubling their inventiveness, as students and employees recently discovered in their mailboxes. The BDE is launching the “Grand Jeu”, a brand new competition devised by them, dividing the entire school into four teams over several weeks. The perfect opportunity to forge and strengthen links!
Very recently, the creation of the Bureau des Arts (BDA) has brought creative clubs together and enabled new projects to emerge. Ultimately, the aim of student life at UniLaSalle Rouen is simple: to enable everyone to find their place and get involved in what they're passionate about!
On September 26, the annual Kick-Off soccer competition will take place. Don't miss the match between the Sports Office and the administration! October will be just as busy, starting with the Associations Forum on Wednesday 2nd, followed by the Unilympiades, a traditional sports event bringing together the four UniLaSalle campuses in Rouen the next day.
An article written by Zoé Lapeze, a student at UniLaSalle Rouen.
