Student volunteers move new students’ belongings into Coltrane Hall.
BOONE—You’d expect the arrival of 2,500 new students plus parents, siblings and several mountains of gym bags, electronics, Rubbermaid® totes, microwaves, pillows, twin-bed quilt sets and untold bags and boxes of miscellany might create a little chaos on move-in day at Appalachian State University.
“The campus will be insane,” said Tom Kaine, director of university housing, the night before the onslaught. But, in truth, Kaine’s team has honed such a well-oiled system of volunteers with dollies and four-wheel carts, trash and maintenance stations and conga-lines of movers that by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, if all goes as expected, the stacks of cardboard boxes will have been recycled, beds will have been adjusted, arranged and made, students will have met new roommates, campus parking lots will be empty and fall semester 2016 officially will be in session.
Karlus Mullins, Kannapolis, is a freshman at Appalachian State and will be living in Coltrane this year.
Jake Hofmann, programming coordinator and RHA for University Housing, works to sign up students to work on the Hall Council in Eggers dorm.
Recycling cardboard from left are Becky Coffey, Linda Coffey and Thomas Alvarado who worked to stay on top of the boxes and packaging piling up in Gardner and Coltrane dorms.
According to Susan Davies, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management, “The incoming freshman class is shaping up to be the largest, most diverse class so far, and the freshman class will exceed 3,100. We also have about 1,250 transfer students and more than 500 new graduate students on campus.”
Kaine confirms he is expecting more than 2,500 students to move in between 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. today.” It’s fun, everybody is excited, the stuff gets unpacked, goes up, the rooms get set up and then everybody goes to Walmart,” he said.
“This is always one of the most exciting days on campus, and one of my favorites,” Chancellor Sheri N. Everts, said early on move-in day. “It’s a beginning full of possibilities for our new students. Our housekeeping staff and the hundreds of volunteers have made moving in all these students seamless. All of us in the Appalachian Community are dedicated to making the rest of this experience a fulfilling and transformational one for the students who are joining us today.”
Kaine expects everything to go well. But, he said, “It will rain. If it doesn’t, it’ll be a miracle,” Last year an unusual hail storm temporarily shut down the process, blew away a few tents and pinned Kaine and Chancellor Everts in Eggers Hall for almost an hour.
Rain or shine, according to a post on the Appalachian State University Facebook page, Kaine and his crew have pulled off another beautifully orchestrated move-in day. Laura O’Donnell Scuron commented, “Kudos to all the volunteers! Despite crowds, very organized!”
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
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