Home sweet home: Video has scenes from Move-in Day at UW-Green Bay
UW-Green Bay welcomed more than 700 freshmen to their new residence hall homes Aug. 30, part of a record 2,050 students set to live on campus for fall semester 2012. Coupled with parents, siblings and friends — not to mention nearly 100 volunteers — they had plenty of fun making themselves at home.
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“This fall we have a record class of about 2,050 students moving in,” said Glenn Gray, director of Housing and Residence Life. “We have over 700 freshmen moving in, and that’s almost about 80 percent of the freshmen class, that’ll be moving in today.”
The Roelse family arrived on campus bright and early, eager to move daughter Mackenzie into her residence hall room.
“It is a very big day,” said mom Kelly Roelse. “It’s very exciting because I personally have never gone to college, nor my husband. So to have her go off to college is very exciting for me, and (I’m) very proud of her.”
Mackenzie Roelse, a graduate of Howards Grove High School in Sheboygan County, said she was definitely ready to start college.
“Excited,” she said. “I’m excited to be on my own, meet my roommate — kind of excited about the whole campus life.”
The freshmen and their families had plenty of help lugging boxes and more during Move-in Day.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of students staff and faculty here,” Gray said, “to help the freshmen move in.”
Some volunteers were seasoned veterans who brought a friendly air of competition to the task.
“A year or two ago, somebody got 29 fridges into Roy (Downham Hall),” said resident assistant Christian Hampton. “And I came here and said ‘I’ve always carried fridges on Move-in Day. I want to try and get 30 … Right now I have 17, and the 18th is right over there.”
Move-in Day is a fun, sometimes emotional time, Hampton said.
“You see the gamut,” he said. “You see parents who are sad that their children are leaving, but happy and excited. It’s just a lot of emotion bottled up in one place.”
Freshman Riley Kiekhaefer was among those having mixed emotions as she moved into her new home.
“I’m excited and really nervous,” Kiekhaefer said. “Just getting out of my parents’ house — and also classes; I’m excited for that.”
As it turned out, there was plenty of excitement to go around.
“I think next to Commencement, this is probably the most exciting day we have on campus,” Gray said. “It’s just a real incredible experience, to be a part of it, to be a part of their lives at this transitional point in time.”
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