NKU’s campus was lively Thursday after being quiet for the summer, with cars lined up on the street and students ready to get to their dorm rooms.
Volunteers could be seen everywhere, whether helping families driving down to find the right dorm or to move their things to their dorm room. They could be spotted wearing lanyards, yellow NKU merch or bright orange vests.
Athletics academic advisor Dominic Toledo chose to become a volunteer to make sure he could help out as much as possible, putting his face in front of incoming students so they would know he was there to help in any way possible, as move-in day can be stressful.
“I know that everyone is looking forward to just having it being done, but it’s a process like any moving day,” he said. “I think everyone is having a good time so far.”
At every dorm building, cars lined up on the curb and volunteers ran with blue bins on wheels to help families load their stuff.
Inside Norse Hall, lines were all the way down to the front doors, with families and volunteers carrying armfuls of dorm items or bins filled to the brim, waiting for the elevator doors to open and take them to students’ new homes.
Move-in day was good for freshman Lauren Deals. She had been looking forward to it all summer.
“It’s been really exciting. I’m like really glad that this day’s here because I’ve been waiting for it for so long,” Deals said.
Moving from Wilmington, Ohio, she picked NKU since it is only an hour away.
“I didn’t want to go too far, but not too close. So it was like the right spot,” Deals said.
Move-in day was also pretty smooth for Kentucky Hall Residential Assistant (RA) Julia Wilmot, as she helped students figure out where to go and whether they needed any assistance bringing stuff in.
“And from what I heard, [it’s] like better than last year… so, I think that’s good,” Wilmot said.
Her goal as an RA is to make students feel welcome.
“Making sure, like, everything’s okay, the rooms are okay, and that, like, you know, the communication is pretty good,” Wilmot said.
Moving into her freshman year dorm was a little stressful for student Madeline Gates, but she didn’t mind.
“[NKU’s campus] just felt like home the first time I stepped on, and everyone’s so welcoming,” said Gates.
Many students had fun moving into their new homes for the next eight months, such as freshman Ella Fulton.
“There’s a lot going on, but I’m super excited,” she said.
Her mom said she loved that everyone was so helpful, with volunteers around every corner, making the move in fast.
“I mean, it was like less than five minutes. These huge, muscular, strong people, just within five minutes, so it’s really exciting,” she said.
The only hard thing is trying to figure out where everything is going to go.
Halley Gulley had a similar experience.
“The problems have been fixed very easily,” she said.
Gulley was excited for all the end-of-the-week events coming up, especially Fresh Fusion.
“I can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” she said.
Back-to-school events begin for students Friday with Fresh Fusion from 12:30 – 4:00 p.m., when student organizations will be on hand to answer any questions and tell students about their missions.
The entire weekend will be full of events for students to enjoy before classes begin on Aug. 24.
This weekend is the perfect opportunity for students to make lifetime memories, make friends and settle in on campus.
