By Michael Riley

The entire Residence Life community braced itself last Thursday for one of its biggest days of the year as thousands of freshmen and their parents flooded the UW-Whitewater campus for Freshman Move-In Day on Aug. 29.

Clothing, computers, futons, extra long bedsheets and more were unloaded as vehicles surrounded the east and west sides of campus between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Students with even numbered rooms were asked to move in during the morning and those with odd numbered rooms came in the afternoon.

In the upcoming year, there will be approximately 4,300 students living in the Residence Halls, and on Thursday more than 3,000 students began a new chapter in their lives.

Freshman Calvin Stokes summarized his first move in three words:  hot, crowded and easy.

“I am looking forward to the freedom,” he said. “I like the idea of being able to make my own choices.  Before, I was nervous about living around girls, but I think now I am excited.”

Many freshmen were surprised to find countless volunteers from various student organizations when they pulled up in front of their new home, willing to carry anything and everything.

The volunteers wore purple or white shirts with Warhawk Crew on the chest.

Freshmen roommates Sam Ewert and Ian Hertsberg could not believe how painless the transition was with all the help.

“I thought I was going to come in, grab a cart and have to push all my stuff by myself,” Hertsberg said.  “In my mind, it was going to be chaos.”

One of the main objectives of the Reslife Professional Staff is to avoid mass chaos and confusion.

In an attempt to keep things moving, the unloading pass was valid for 20 minutes, after which parents and students were asked to move their car to the nearest parking lot.

Christina Aichele, assistant director for learning communities, leadership and inclusion, is new to Whitewater this year and thought the whole day went smoothly.

“The goal is to be as efficient as possible,” Aichele said.

Previously, Aichele was the director of Residence Life at the University of St. Francis in Illinois and said some of the most common concerns about a move-in day are keys not working or rooms not being ready.

“At other universities, problems occurred because we had camps moving out right before students move in,” Aichele said.  “This year, we had plenty of time to prepare and be ready.”

Not counting the 80-degree heat, problems and issues were handled by resident assistants or other helpful volunteers.

Floor mates Callie Blume, Rachel Tripp and Alexica Peterson moved in four days earlier than all the other freshmen for the ULEAD program.

They spent three days attending leadership programs focusing on success, involvement and meeting people in their first year.

“I loved it,” Tripp said.  “I feel so much more comfortable on campus and around town.  I actually have friends.”

Although they all found the experience rewarding, they did admit it would have been nice to have a few extra hands to help them move in.

“You would be surprised,” Blume said.  “Even having someone holding the door for you while you carry things can make a huge difference.”