BY MOLLY PIELS

In print | August 28, 2007

Move-in day is always hectic. There is no way for 300+ students, their families and their belongings to arrive on campus, then find Parrish, their dorm and Ben West without a bit of confusion. That said, there are a number of things new and returning students can do today to make everything go as smoothly as possible.

It’s late August, and most people involved with Orientation will spend most of the day well out of the reach of any air conditioning, so dehydration is a real risk. Rudeness is one of the early symptoms of dehydration, so please carry a water bottle with you at all times. It’s a good idea to fill it up before going to Ben West to get a student ID because the line stretches out the door.

Parking next to the dorms is extremely limited. New students should limit the time they spend parked next to their dorm as much as possible by unloading the car at the curb, sending one member of the move-in party to park the car in DuPont and then bringing all their things up to their rooms. There are enough people around that theft is not a huge threat, but it is still best to move the most expensive and easy-to-steal items into the room first. For returning students, today is not the day to leave the car parked behind Wharton or in Ben West. Just leave it in C lot (off Fieldhouse Lane, by the South Entrance) and walk.

CAs (Campus Advisors) are posted at every dorm to help new students move in. They are happy to direct traffic, help find rooms and introduce new students to their RAs. Since they have to spend the whole day outside in the sun, are not getting paid beyond room and board and are generally not competitive weight lifters, they’re a bit less happy about carrying heavy things back and forth, so please do not ask them to do so.

The Sharples serving area, especially at first, can be a very confusing place. It is also very small. It only takes one person standing in the wrong place to cause a human traffic jam, so please try to keep out of the way while deciding what to eat. Returning students, please be patient. The food isn’t going anywhere and we all had trouble figuring it out once ourselves.

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