Incoming Ohio State students living in the residence halls got their first taste of being a Buckeye as thousands moved onto campus Sunday.
Many described move-in day at OSU as hectic for parents and students, as students flocked to campus to fill roughly 9,800 on-campus beds. With help from volunteers with the student-run organization Orientation Welcome Leader, the move-in process was intended to be easier.
Students had the option to move into their residence halls early by signing up to volunteer as an OWL to help others with move in Sunday. OWLs moved into their buildings Thursday.
Volunteers assembled on all sides of campus to help fellow students unload their cars and take belongings to their rooms.
“This year we are helping all the students moving back in to Drackett Tower by unloading cars, moving it into carts and setting it up in the elevators,” said Rachel Nash, a first-year in engineering. “That way when they get their keys, they can just take their stuff up, as this is just a really efficient way of helping them move in.”
Even though the OWLs are intended to make move-in day run smoother, there were still obstacles and complications throughout the day. On North Campus, they experienced a shortage of carts, while on South Campus it was the opposite.
Helen Harris, a first-year in Japanese, said there was a shortage of human resources at Morrison Tower.
“We definitely are short on people. South Campus has more people, so that could have factored in to the craziness,” Harris said.
OWL Coordinator Emily Moore, second-year in international studies and Spanish, said there were some changes made this year in OWL operations.
“We are trying to mainstream things more, make it more efficient and make the whole process run more smoothly,” Moore said. “They changed the activities to help the OWL freshmen get to know campus a little bit better with fun activities.”
Erin Mitchell, second-year in international business, also mentioned another way that has helped the OWLs assist students and parents more effectively.
“Things we are doing differently this year is trying to record the times that people come in and re-work movements so that it runs smoother,” Mitchell said.
Both parents and students were pleased overall with the efforts of these student volunteers.
“I’m really satisfied with the OWLs,” said Mary Neamer, a first-year in nutrition. “I went in to get my keys and they had everything ready for me, and they moved really fast.”
RaChelle Dennis, who helped move her son into Drackett Tower, said the whole process was effecient.
“It was very organized, as my son settled in quickly, and was able to even pick-up his football tickets,” Dennis said.
Even with the shortage of people and longer waits, plenty of parents had good things to say about the OWLs and move-in process.
“Wait is a little long, but it’s okay,” said parent Jeff Lewis. “It is our first time, it’s all good.”