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Move-in day cause reaction
Piles of belongings and sweaty parents and students lined the streets between the residence halls Sunday and Monday as the move-in days on campus unfolded.
Beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, the Husky Haulers literally hauled their belongings into their rooms and prepared for the two-day process. Residents of Stateview, Lawrence, Mitchell and Shoemaker Halls rounded out the day Sunday as they pushed, pulled and dragged their necessities to their rooms.
The dawn of a beautiful day brought cars of students ready to move in at 6 a.m. Monday morning. Husky Haulers and Residential Life staff were on hand to direct and assist in the move-in process both Sunday and Monday and despite the construction, felt as though the days proceeded with little difficulty.
"Everyone was doing their part and that is why it went smoothly," Director of Residential Life Diane Schellinger said. "Public safety and the Husky Haulers did a good job and a lot of credit is given to the people moving in."
A lot of coordination went into this year's event. Because of the ease, last year's move-in process was adopted again, however, the path to campus had to be modified because of construction on campus. Upon arrival, cars were directed to form lines in K-lot and as space became available, they were given direction to follow the Beaver Island Trail and through the Atwood Mall to their final destination in the parking lots surrounding the residence halls.
Once unloaded, residents were prompted to move the empty vehicles to designated lots in order to allow more vehicles and residents to move in.
"I was excited to see how cordial and cooperative the students were to have one person stay with the items and the others bring the car (to another lot)," Schellinger said.
Midday bunch-ups did occur with waits as long as 45 minutes in K-lot, however that was expected, Schellinger said.
"Early in the morning we get people right to the lots and after 3:00 p.m. they just drive through," she said. The average wait for most vehicles was a mere 20-30 minutes.
The minimal wait time in K-lot was attributed to the hard work of parents and students as well as the assistance of Husky Haulers in unloading and transfer of belongings from parking lots to the dorms. There were also shopping carts available that seemed to be a hit with the students.
"The shopping cart idea was really good," first-year student Gina Rulmppio said.
Not all students and parents felt that the wait was reasonable, some became frustrated and angry.
"I almost got run over on purpose," Matt Dooyema, a second-year student assisting in Monday's events said. However, this attitude was not the norm.
"There are always going to be a few bad apples," Jay Breimhorst, a fifth-year student helping with move-in said. "Overall everyone was pretty understanding." Rulmppio demonstrated Breimhorst's view.
"I didn't have an idea of how things were run, (you) go with the flow."
Out of control
Belongings were not the only things lining the streets of the campus neighborhood on move-in day. Groups of students living in the surrounding houses and apartments saw the day as an opportunity to sit on the lawn and party.
Some of these parties got out of hand and were dispersed by the police. It was reported that over 257 misdemeanor citations were issued and more than 90 students arrested as a result. Compared to last year's 35 citations, this is an exorbitant amount. Move-in day caused more arrests and citations than Halloween/homecoming weekend in 1999 and the homecoming riots of 1988. The increase in enforcement could have been due to a $5,000 grant obtained by a university, citizen and police group to combat this problem to increase safety in the campus neighborhood.
Despite the rowdy parties and inevitable few grumpy students and parents, the general perception of the event was one of enthusiasm and satisfaction. "Overall, the freshmen were very excited. I saw many smiles and excited faces, also, a lot of kind, eloquent parents," Dooyema said. "It went beautifully," Schellinger said. "It's an exciting and incredible testament to what positive attitudes and cooperation can do."
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