Back to CNU - Moving in the Freshmen

At CNU, Freshman Move-In Day is highly orchestrated.  Faculty, staff, and upperclass students meet the incoming cars, stuffed with student belongings, and unload each one while the new student checks in and a parent moves the car.  Student club members have the opportunity to put on club t-shirts to advertise their group while helping with move-in.  They also earn service hours.  As the chaplain for Episcopal Campus Ministry, I get to participate, too. 

Staff members in florescent yellow shirts direct cars into open spaces in front of the main entrances of the freshmen dorms.  Three to four cars can be unloaded at the same time while waiting cars line up on paved pathways that are usually reserved for walking.  When a car pulls into place, a group of volunteers drags over a bright blue rolling bin or cart like the ones hotels use to transport laundry or luggage.  Three pieces of masking tape, each marked with the student’s room number, hang off of the driver’s side mirror.  I have no idea how they get there, but I pull them off, let the driver know that we’re going to unload the car and then stick the pieces of tape on each rolling bin or cart so that those unloading the car will know where to take the belongings.  I also call out the room number several times so that everyone working with that student knows where to go.

Large heavy boxes, trunks, and luggage come out first to go on the bottom of the bins and carts.  As we pull out the belongings, I sometimes wonder how the items will fit into the small, shared dorm room.  Especially when I pull out furniture.  Some bring chairs and small tables, book shelves, or flat-screen TVs.  Almost every car includes a floor length mirror.  Fortunately they tuck well into the sides of the bins. 

Posters, clothing, plastic containers of toiletries, field hockey sticks, skateboards, bedding, toilet paper, cases of bottled water, soda, and Gatorade, lamps, husband chairs, computers, printers, books, plastic boxes, bins, and shelving units full to bursting with needed items.

My shift this past Saturday was from 12-5.  Before half an hour had gone by, the elevator on one side of the dorm had ceased working.  This meant hand carrying each item from the cars to the rooms – in that particular time frame, only students with rooms on the 3^rd floor arrived.  Up the stairs we went with luggage and boxes, electronics and clothes on hangers, totes and backpacks.  Up and down, up and down.

One of the clubs assigned to my shift was the male acappella group, Expansion.  Those guys were able to lift entire rolling bins or carts filled with stuff and carry them up the stairs to the 3^rd floor, emptying them and bringing them back down.  They were my heroes. 

My most embarrassing moment of the day was when I asked for help getting items carried to the 3^rd floor and two students said they’d take care of it.  Turns out, I sent them to the wrong side of the dorm.  They carried items up the stairs only to find the room didn’t exist because it was ON THE OTHER SIDE!  Mea culpa!  When I carried up my next load of stuff, I apologized profusely.  Hard enough to carry things up once!  No problem, they said.  At least they could use the elevator on the other side. 

I met one Episcopalian during the day.  Hopefully she’ll check us out at the club fair next Sunday.  Much of the day I worked side by side with the new Baptist Campus Minister.  I appreciate that the different groups can work together for a common purpose.

It’s a hard day for entering students and their families as they pack up all their belongings, trying to guess what will be needed or wanted.  They travel through traffic all morning and then arrive in a new place.  They have to squeeze all of the stuff into the space allotted.  Many make Target runs to pick up last minute items.  At some point in the weekend there will be good-byes.  Parents try to hold back tears.  Students do too. 

I’m glad the CNU administration makes the move in process as easy as possible.  At least there’s one part of the "going to college" process that the parents/students don’t have to orchestrate. 

Maybe a few of the students who worked beside me unloading cars and hauling stuff up stairs will stop by the Plaza Prayer Station this fall and say hello.  Or maybe one of the new students will recognize me from Move-In day and be brave enough to ask for a prayer.  I hope so.   

May God bless them all with a smooth entry to their new community and a fruitful year ahead.