“Excuse me — where’s the nearest Target?”
As more than 1,000 freshmen and their families descended on campus Aug. 26, that question could be heard most often above the din of laughter, car engines and pleas for student-group sign-ups, as the new arrivals scrambled for last-minute supplies.
Despite the heat and humidity and a few minor glitches, the 2004 edition of freshman move-in went quite smoothly.
“I’ve been very impressed with the staff,” said Larry Dill, who was helping his freshman son, Myers, move into Rubelmann Residence Hall. “They really have this process down to a science. It was packed this morning when we arrived, but it’s been very orderly. Organized chaos, I’d say.”
That “organized chaos” has to be orchestrated by someone, and that responsibility falls on the Office of Residential Life staff, resident advisers (RAs), residential college directors (RCDs) and volunteer staff from departments throughout the University.
“The successful arrival and move-in process is a real team effort,” said Justin X. Carroll, assistant vice chancellor for students and dean of students.
“Staff from residential life, housekeeping services, campus police, parking and transportation, and facilities maintenance partnered with more than 100 student volunteers to ensure that things went smoothly.
“In spite of the heat and other adverse conditions, this group of dedicated individuals worked extremely hard that day.”
Jane Jackson drove from Long Island, N.Y., to drop off her son Ben, her first child to attend college, at Rubelmann Hall.
“We were very impressed with the amount of information we received and the questions that were answered before we even arrived here,” she said.
Jackson said her family made extensive use of the University’s orientation and parents’ Web pages, which provided valuable information to make the entire move-in process much easier.
Ben Jackson, a Lien Scholar, fell in love with the University and decided to attend WUSTL over other schools he had applied to, including Harvard, Yale, Brown and Penn.
“He’s very excited, and I know he’s going to love it here,” Jane Jackson said.
Even news of a power outage wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of parents and students busily carting possessions into the dormitories.
A small electrical fire knocked out power to a few of the residential colleges and Wohl Student Center, but it didn’t seem to be a setback.
After Convocation, the “Celebration on the Quad” ended at 10 p.m. The RAs and RCDs from Park/Mudd Residential College then held a mixer for the freshmen residents of Liggett/Koenig and Rubelmann/Umrath, since power was still out to both of those residential colleges.
By the time the mixer was over at 11:30 p.m., power had been restored to the entire South 40.
“I was very pleased with the way everyone pitched in,” Carroll said. “Despite the heat and problems with the power, everyone really came together and helped each other out.
“I think it was another very successful move-in.”