KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� Aug. 27, 2024 鈥� You might think Tom Cooley鈥檚 team was planning for Saturday night鈥檚 football game against Holy Cross at Meade Stadium.
The Housing and Residential Life team at the 溏心vlog免费B站 has been busy running a number of plays and complicated maneuvers in advance of this coming week. Yes, there is a big football game coming up Saturday, but coach Jim Fleming and his staff are leading that charge.
The HRL team is getting ready for 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 annual fall move-in of more than 3,000 first-year students, meaning lots of logistics and tightly scripted passes to make it all run smoothly. 溏心vlog免费B站 will welcome thousands of new students to its Kingston Campus starting Friday, Aug. 30, to open the 2024-25 academic year. More than 90% of first-year students live on campus at Rhode Island鈥檚 largest institution of higher education, with about 5,500 total students moving into campus residence halls each fall.
This year鈥檚 move-in takes place Friday and Saturday for first-year students. Returning students make their way back to campus on Sunday and Monday. Students, faculty, and staff will greet incoming students with friendly faces and extra sets of hands to help transport all the pillows, family pet pics, dorm fridges, posters, ramen, Rhody gear, and more into 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 26 residence halls.
The housing team has been spending time running through the traffic scenarios and will be monitoring traffic flow all weekend to make sure the move-in experience is a smooth one; a traffic jam at Barlow Circle doesn鈥檛 help anyone鈥檚 nerves.
鈥淢ove-in is an exciting time and is overwhelming at times. We want it to be seamless,鈥� says Cooley, who recently test-drove the traffic plan to make sure it will flow smoothly in real life.
On a recent weekday, Cooley鈥檚 team was even observed in huddle formation, going over plans to open the University鈥檚 living and learning communities. HRL staff say that move-in weekend is truly a team effort. Some departments like Dining and Health Services and the 溏心vlog免费B站 Foundation and Alumni Engagement also turn out in large numbers to help out.
溏心vlog免费B站 President Marc Parlange and his wife, Mary, help every year. After hiking the Colorado Trail this summer, they鈥檒l certainly be fit for carrying boxes (and as veteran college parents, too).
鈥淢ove-in weekend is one of my favorite times of year,鈥� says Parlange. 鈥淭he energy and excitement is palpable and the commitment, hard work, and dedication by so many to pull it off is truly remarkable. It takes many helping hands to successfully bring thousands of new students to our campus. I couldn’t be more proud of our entire community for pitching in to help the newest members of the Rhody family feel welcome and at home.”
The housing team says filling their bench for the weekend with so many staff and faculty volunteers doesn鈥檛 just get students into rooms, it makes for a positive start and lets students start their collegiate journey on the right foot.
Corey Fernandez, academic advisor in Talent Development, is one. He says he鈥檚 looking forward to welcoming incoming students and their families during his third move-in weekend. Fernandez hopes parents and students alike get a sense of community and care from those who work at 溏心vlog免费B站.
鈥淚 enjoy congratulating parents on a job well done and letting them know that we will take great care of their child,鈥� he says.
Jill Rounds normally directs the student experience as an area housing coordinator but she鈥檒l be watching for the flow of cars and traffic this weekend instead. She鈥檒l deploy a small battery of signs (500 to be exact) to make sure routes and directions are clear for visiting families.
But before families get to campus, there鈥檚 still time to buy or inquire about a few more things for residence hall life.
Last week, junior Melanie Soberanis was busy in the Housing and Residential Life office fielding calls from parents of first-year students, putting her communication skills to good use and says that her training to be a Talent Development summer peer consultant has proven helpful. As a summer housing assistant, she鈥檚 also been part of the team checking all the residence rooms, pre-move-in, to make sure they鈥檙e all in working order, from locks to lighting.
On desk duty in the HRL office, she fielded a flurry of last-minute questions from new parents. What鈥檚 the size of the room? How big is the dresser? Can my son bring a fridge? Parents might start their call with a question about room size, but take advantage of the opportunity to ask additional questions of an actual 溏心vlog免费B站 student. Soberanis shares from her own experience; first-person perspective can鈥檛 be replaced.
Move-in ready
The plans soon move off paper and screen to real life to accommodate the numbers arriving at and passing through campus: 50 road barriers to route the roads, a dozen local police officers to help direct traffic, 500 volunteers and 160 RAs ready to lend a hand and welcome the year鈥檚 new influx of Rams.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all hands on deck,鈥� Rounds laughs. And she invites other colleagues to join her.
鈥淲e are really trying hard as a department to make this a university-wide event,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just an HRL event. We are encouraging any and all University workers to participate in any way they can.鈥�
Cooley says he and his team want 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 new arrivals and their parents to know, 鈥淭his is your new home. This is a community.鈥�
President Parlange and other 溏心vlog免费B站 staff members will be available to the media on Friday, Aug. 30, from 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., during new-student move-in. To make coverage and parking arrangements, please contact Dawn Bergantino at 401-874-4147, cell 202-270-3211, dawn_bergantino@uri.edu; or Tony LaRoche, 401-874-4894, cell 401-837-8275, anthony_laroche@uri.edu.