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OCD Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is OCD?
  2. Where is the OCD Office?
  3. What responsibilities do off-campus dons have during Orientation Week and throughout the year?
  4. How can I get involved in OCD?
  5. If I had questions about OCD, who is the best person to contact?
  6. Who can I talk to if I have conflicts with my don?
  7. How do I apply to become a don or Orientation leader?
  8. I need a place for school/co-op! How can I go about looking for one?

  1. What is OCD?
    • Off-Campus Dons (OCD) is a FEDS-run service in which we aim to serve as mentors for students living off-campus for their first year at the University of Waterloo
    • Students register with us on the first day of Orientation Week (after registering with their faculty and receiving a wrist band for the week). Each student registered is paired with an upper-year student, their don
    • During the year, dons will continue to contact these first-year students by e-mail, updating them on events being held and opportunities around campus
    • Our mission is to help direct students to the resources available to them on campus to ensure their first year here is a success!
  2. Where is the OCD Office?
    • SLC 2142 (above Brubakers); where students can drop in, hang out, play board games, chat with the dons, or ask questions.
  3. What responsibilities do off-campus dons have during Orientation Week and throughout the year?
    • Attend office hours in the OCD office every week (at the same time!)
    • Plan at least one OCD event per term on duty
    • Participate in all OCD and cross-campus events during Orientation Week
    • Keep frosh up-to-date on events, including the What/Where/Who/When/Why; if an event is occurring off-campus, also include the How
    • Keep in touch with frosh outside of events to see if they are doing well
    • For the complete list of don responsibilities, please click here
  4. How can I get involved in OCD?
    • There are a variety of OCD events that off-campus students can partake in, which are announced periodically throughout the term on the OCD Events page
  5. If I had questions about OCD, who is the best person to contact?
    • Your don is the primary link between you and OCD; feel free to ask him/her any questions you may have. You can email, call, or visit him/her during office hours. The contact information for individual dons can be found on the Off-Campus Dons page.
    • Or you can call the OCD office at (519) 888-4567 x35349 during office hours
    • Another option is to contact the OCD coordinator or advisor at uwocd@yahoo.com
  6. Who can I talk to if I have conflicts with my don?
    • You can contact the OCD coordinator or advisor at uwocd@yahoo.com to discuss your situation
  7. How do I apply to become a don or Orientation leader?
    • If you are interested in becoming an off-campus don, the application form (as well as other information about dons and their responsibilities) can be found on the Dons page. You just have to complete the application, print it out, and bring it to the OCD office. If no one is there, feel free to slip the form under the door
    • If you are interested in becoming a frosh leader for Orientation week (held the first week of every Fall term), an application form can be found on the Orientation page. You just have to complete the application, print it out, and bring it to the OCD office. If no one is there, feel free to slip the form under the door
  8. I need a place for school/co-op! How can I go about looking for one?
    • You can check the postings on the UW Off-Campus Housing (OCH) website. This site contains listings posted by landlords (which can be organized and filtered by utilities, internet, price, number of rooms, term available, etc.) and sublets listed by students. The OCH site is an excellent resources for students who live (or are considering living) off-campus
    • The OCH site certainly isn't the only resource available for students. There is also the OCH office, located on the 2nd floor of Village 1 residence, where there are people to talk to if you have any questions or concerns. They can also be contacted at och@uwaterloo.ca
    • Another useful (although uncertain) way of finding a new place is by word of mouth from your friends, neighbours, dons, etc. It is especially good if he/she lived there before, because you would be able to find out about their personal experiences in that place
    • Some apartments, houses, etc. have "For Rent" signs posted in their windows with telephone numbers or email addresses. However, if you find a place like this and are interested in renting it, make sure that it is licensed with the City of Waterloo (most landlords post the license somewhere on the premises)
    • There are many other sites (that you can Google) where you can find places to live as well, such as Facebook (the Marketplace). These can be especially useful since there are not usually a lot of places outside of the K-W area that are posted on the OCH website.
    • Many of the above sites (and more) can also be used to post ads and information if you want to sublet your place for a term