Early student arrivals prepare campus for incoming class
by Marlena Chertock, August 27, 2010
Smith Hall is empty, except one lone, early resident: junior Brandon Marshall. He moved to The Oaks on June 14 for jobs with Admissions as a summer tour guide and with the School of Communications as a student engineer. He is also the Resident Assistant Coordinator for East Area, and his responsibilities as RAC required him to move in early. On Aug. 13, he made Smith his on-campus home.
While Marshall might be the only resident in Smith, there are about 500 other students who have also moved in early. The number of students who move in early is about the same every year, according to Assistant Director of Residence Life Operations and Information Management MarQuita Barker.
“The earliest a student could move in this year was Aug. 9,” Barker said, “and it just depends on when they need to, according to the adviser.”
Barker said it is not difficult to organize the influx of students before move-in day in August because the advisers provide a roster of names, and staff put the room keys at the early arrival desk in Moseley.
“Moving in early is great,” Marshall said. “The dormitory is quiet, and I enjoy the quietness before all the residents arrive. However, with that said, the dorms are a little scary at night. It’s only scary when you know you’re the only one there.”
Students are only allowed to move in early if they participate in an organization, Barker said, including athletes, band members, student workers, resident assistants, orientation leaders and leaders of other organizations. These students prepare for the athletic season, have teambuilding activities, fundraise for WSOE and plan activities for incoming freshmen.
Though they are on campus well before classes begin, students have already begun to work. Marshall said the days and nights are hectic. He worked 8-5 p.m. and has RAC training.
“For the most part, all the days seem to blend together,” he said.
Marshall said Residence Life staff move in two weeks before school starts in order to train and to prepare the dormitories for residents.
“The sooner RAs/RACs move in to their dorms, the better, because (we) need all the rest we can get before training begins,” he said. “Our training schedule continues up to move-in day. Our schedule usually consists of day-long guest speakers from departments such as the counseling or judicial affairs informing us how to cater to residents.”
Marshall said the RAs get acquainted with one another and learn how to conduct hall meetings, be there for residents and resolve conflicts.
The RAs also conduct room checks before residents arrive. They make sure each room has desks, beds and dresser drawers and bathrooms and closets are clean, according to Marshall.
“We make a lot of work orders within the first two weeks prior to move-in day,” Marshall said.
Sophomore Cat Valero moved in Aug. 23 becuase of her responsibilities as music promotions manager for WSOE. She said moving in early is convenient and less chaotic than moving in at the same time as everyone else.
Students on WSOE’s executive staff and those who participated in semester activities with the organization were asked to move in early during the week of Aug. 23 “to help collect sponsorship, set up booths around campus and be present as one of the four locations on campus during (move-in day),” Valero said.
On move-in day WSOE student DJs play music outside dorms and give away prizes on-air to freshmen, said Marshall, who is also a WSOE DJ.
Valero said they aren’t just trying to sell WSOE to freshmen.
“Our job isn’t to get members to join WSOE and come to our first general meeting, but to make them feel like this is a place they can call home,” she said.
These students who move in early prepare campus in various ways, from practicing for the first band performance to planning activities for incoming freshmen. They try to form a community that incoming and returning students can depend on, Valero said.