When out of town students register at the University of Victoria, there are certain questions staff expect to hear. It’s usually how to find a place to live or what kind of electives they should choose. But, this year, the questions are different, says Matt Stiegemeyer, manager of student marketing and communications.

“It’s like, how do I find a workout partner? Or how do I find someone to play guitar with?”

That’s because university recruiters have been using Facebook, the online social networking website, to attract a record number of high school students to UVic.

It’s all part of UVic’s drive to get back to its roots and attract students fresh out of high school. For years, the university has had many students arrive through two-year university transfer programs.

But as B.C. colleges reinvented themselves as universities, like Malaspina did in becoming Vancouver Island University, UVic has seen a dramatic drop in students arrive through the transfer route. In the past five years, the number of transfer students dropped 38 per cent as more decided to stay in one institution to complete their programs.

More than 70 per cent of UVic’s students come from outside Greater Victoria. Two years ago, UVic recruiters re-vamped their strategies, assigning staff to cover high schools in specific regions and to focus on maintaining personal contact with prospective students.

UVic bought ads on Facebook last year in the fall and spring (which prompted 7,000 responses), and recruiters made sure to approach high schools in both early spring and in June when it was time for students to register for university. “It was like ‘I’m coming to your town, let’s sit down’ versus ‘Here’s a website and a book,’” Stiegemeyer said about the face-to-face approach.

The new strategy is working. The number of students going directly from high school to UVic has increased 30 per cent in the last five years. The number of returning undergraduate students is up three per cent this year, as is the number of new undergraduate students, up 4.7 per cent. But UVic not only wants to attract students, it wants to keep them.

This year, with more than 2,000 first-year students under the age of 19 arriving – a record number – staff are planning best possible learning - and living experiences – for newcomers.

With so many young students, the school also wants to curb some of the problems, such as binge drinking, that have drawn criticism in the past.

This year 1,000 under-19s living on campus will be grouped together rather than dispersed throughout residences. And although assistant vice-president Jim Dunsdon says the university can’t ban alcohol, staff will do everything they can to provide choices for newcomers.

“We’re trying to do things to help promote healthy behaviour, healthy attitudes and give them other alternatives,” Dunsdon said. All ages dances, live music, and health information sessions are all in the works.

“Influences will always be there but this will be a big campaign once they arrive,” he said.

vmoreau@saanichnews.com

By the numbers

• UVic’s largest student population was in 2006/07 with 19,475.

• As of this week, 16,647 undergraduate students have registered, with 2,000-plus graduate students still to register.