Over Sept. 4 and 5, incoming first-year students moved into their new homes.
Approximately 1,200 students arrived on Friday and 3,700 arrived on Saturday as part of the two-day move-in process, interim Executive Director (Housing and Ancillary Services) Kate Murray said in an interview with The Journal.
University representatives interviewed by The Journal said Saturday’s move-in ran smoothly.
“It’s going great, […] and it looks really smooth in and around the city as well,” Vice-Provost (Student Affairs) Corinna Fitzgerald said in an interview with The Journal.
The representatives credited communication and cooperation among students, families, and the City of Kingston partners as key components to planning a successful move-in day.
“It’s going pretty well to be honest with you. […] I can see lots of efforts being put in,” Yahya Mohamed, president and CEO of the Residence Society, said in an interview with The Journal.
According to Murray and Fitzgerald, the University worked closely with the City, Kingston Transit, and Kingston Police. Murray said move-in preparations began in March and involved regular meetings with City partners to coordinate logistics.
During move-in, Kingston Police could be seen directing traffic around campus.
Fitzgerald said communication with students and families is also important. She noticed communication during move-in had improved since previous years.
“Last year was very successful and we are trying to build on the success of last year,” Murray said.
She attributed the results of last year’s move-in to the increase in volunteers helping students and families.
“The volunteers are really working so hard making sure everything goes smoothly,” Mohamed said.
Fitzgerald said there were approximately 1,500 volunteers assisting, including staff, student athletes, and first-year students who moved in during the advance move-in day.
Murray explained that the reason behind two-day move-in is to allow students begin orientation roughly at the same time.
“We want students to have the same experience,” Murray said.
The move-in experience itself can differ by the student, though, as an additional 2,500 students settled in on the Saturday compared to the Sunday.
“Last night was more chaotic than today,” Maya Metelsky, ArtSci ’30, said. She had already moved in Friday night and was helping her sister move in on Saturday.
“Getting the keys was crazy,” Metelsky said. On Friday night, she was scheduled to receive her residence key at 5 p.m., but key pickup did not start until 5:20 p.m. “It took us an hour just to get the key.”
Kate Kanellakos, HealthSci ’30, said receiving the keys on Saturday was straightforward.
“Everything to get here was super easy. The keys were really fast, but getting here from the stadium, it took a little time to get here. It’s organized, though,” she said.
Both students said moving into their residences was as they expected.
“It’s really fun. I expected it to be busy, but the vibes are ready for the school [year],” Metelsky said.
Around the residences, volunteers repeated orientation chants as students and families unloaded their belongings.
Mohamed said that the residence staff were focused on creating a welcoming environment by greeting incoming students. He said the goal was to ensure students are aware of their support services and feel the hospitality from the very beginning.
Tags
move-in, orientation, Residence
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