Queen’s move-in day returns

Staff and volunteers had it down to a ‘well-oiled machine

Image by: Asbah Ahmad
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Approximately 4,600 first-year students began their journey at Queen’s with residence move-in day on Sept. 5. Ann Tierney, vice provost and dean of student affairs, spoke to The Journal outside Victoria Hall on move-in day about the logistics.

“I think move-in is our best day at Queen’s. It’s a chance to really welcome all of our new students,” Tierney said. “A lot of planning in advance goes into the operations of today.”

Tierney said move-in day planning begins in the spring and continues until the day of. Time slots for move-in were staggered to help with traffic flow, and lots of volunteers helped make the process as seamless as possible. 

“I can’t say enough about our volunteers and staff. There’s over 1000 people volunteering today. The vast majority, easily 800, are students,” Tierney said. “Our staff really has it down to a well-oiled machine.” 

The University partnered with the City of Kingston to tell the general community what’s happening—this included signage around campus. 

Some students moved into the new Albert St. residence building, which has 303 beds, Tierney said.

Tierney added you could see and feel the excitement in the air, as it’s been three years since Queen’s has held a full one-day move-in. In 2021, move-in took four days. First-year Orientation began after move-in, on Sept. 6.

“When we look at the whole week, [students] have the opportunity to start today, building connections on their floor and their residence with students from all different programs,” Tierney said.

Tierney said students will have the chance to make connections in different places. She spoke to the importance of maintaining COVID-19 precautions alongside this opportunity.

“We’re really encouraging people to take the precautions that are best for them […] We talked to students about precautions like masking, hand sanitizing, and distancing as they feel comfortable.”

Emily Yeung, president of the Residence Society (ResSoc), spoke to initiatives student staff are planning in residences, including the shirt initiative.

“We have residence facilitators all over our buildings who will be hosting events, activities, and are resources to be engaged and find peers,” Yeung said.

“We are selling building-specific T-shirts. The whole initiative behind that is to foster community spirit within their building and have a home away from home.”

Yeung said it was exciting to see students move into the Albert St. residence, as it meets all of Ontario’s accessibility codes and is very inclusive, with prayer and meditation rooms. 

“I’m so excited to welcome the class of 2026 and I know it will be a very exciting day for everyone.”

—With files from Asbah Ahmad

Tags

Ann Tierney, move in day, students

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