New, returning students settle into residential life

Jordan Leigh Haiduk / The Bulletin

New students line up in Schillinger Lounge to get checked into the Morse Complex on Sunday, August 17. While students were checking in on the inside, the Hornet Helpers were hard at work unloading their cars to lighten their load.

Boxes, bedding, couches, suitcases and refrigerators lined the sidewalks in front of the Residential Halls last Sunday as students moved in for the semester, many for the first time. For many freshmen, this day marked the first time they will ever live away from home, an event that is often met with mixed reactions.

“I live ten miles away from Emporia so I wasn’t too nervous about not living at home anymore,” said Lizzy Wendling, freshman nursing major.

Others came from further away but were excited about the idea of living on their own.

“I was excited to move,” said Nick Watson, freshman undecided major. “I was ready. I packed up a whole bunch of stuff up and was ready to go.”

With a great deal of incoming freshmen and returning students arriving at the residence halls at the same time, preparation for their arrival was a process that involved a great number of people. The walls of each floor were decorated with signs informing students of upcoming events, floor meetings, rules and information residents would find helpful and every door was adorned with a personalized decal meant to welcome each individual student.

Students representing Greek life, sports, student government and residential life were all present on move in day to help the process go as smoothly as possible. The volunteers served a dual purpose, to assist students with moving and to spread the word about their respective organizations and encourage student involvement.

“Student involvement is important,” said Jen Newell, sophomore communications major and president of Towers Complex Government. “It’s a great way to meet people”

The first checkpoint that students went through was to meet representatives from student health in order to confirm that residents had verification of their meningitis vaccination. Students were then greeted by representatives of TCG.

“I handed out flyers to the Towers Complex as well as Hornet ID holder,” said Abigale Elyacharshuster, senior international studies major and vice president of TCG. “I think move in day is so important for students, especially freshmen. They get to meet a bunch of people who may eventually one day become their friends.”

Residents were finally greeted by their complex coordinator and told to proceed to their designated rooms. Upon arriving on their floors, students were greeted by their RAs and were allowed into their rooms for the first time. The staged process of moving in made the transition much easier for many students.

“The process of getting to my room went pretty smoothly,” Wendling said. “It took a couple hours to get my room situated. It went well”

With move in day complete, many residents are looking forward to what they hope will be a smooth transition into college life.

“As a freshman, I am hoping just to survive school,” Watson said. “Surviving school and not getting into any trouble.”