About 650 students moved into the dorms on Thursday. Parents andfirst-years swarmed the campus looking for their residence halls,carrying huge boxes and meeting new faces. The scene looked muchthe same, but the system for check-in is new this year.
First-year students were all directed to Dedman Center forLifetime Sports, they lined up to start the process that leads themto different booths and tables until they reach the check-out pointwith their keys, student handbook and other information.
“We wanted to give students more of a red-carpetexperience,” said Jenna Hyatt, associate director ofResidence Life and Student Housing. It will give the residencehalls a much more intimate feel once students arrive, she said.
Having all the staff in one location also helps RLSH solveproblems more efficiently.
First-year students are given a sheet with each booth listed.RHA-Hall Council, fire safety, student activities, and WOW areamong the tables first-year student visit during check-in. Parentswere directed towards a family lounge with places to sit, coffeeand informative posters lining the wall.
When exiting Dedman, students are given a card with the timethey check out. The students then have one hour to unload behindtheir residence hall before moving their cars to the parkinggarages.
There will be moving crews at each dorm to help students geteverything from their cars to their rooms in this time period.
In past years, students who arrived early got parking spaces,which left little room for students arriving later in theafternoon. The new one-hour system will hopefully give each studentan equal shot at parking, Hyatt said. It will also keep first-yearstudents who are going to Mustang Corral from parking their carsbehind the dorms all weekend. Students checking in on Sunday willnow have ample parking.
The average time to complete the check-in process Thursday was20 minutes, Hyatt said. Kim Calvo, the mother of a first-yearstudent from Sugarland, Texas, felt the new process was runningsmoothly. She and her son easily found the Dedman center, and herson was in line for check-in while she read some information shehad been given while sitting in the family lounge.
Most students arrive early in the morning for check-in. Hyattsaid the best time for students who wish to avoid long lines isafter lunch.
Several upperclassmen were there to assist in check-in and feltthis system was superior to those in the past.
“We had to stand outside in the blazing heat just to getone key, back in the day,” said Eric Matthews, a senioraccounting major.
