Every August, new and returning students flood back to campus the week before fall semester classes begin. They are greeted by a large crew of faculty, staff, and students who volunteer to help these Redbirds move into university housing.
Appears InThis year, graduate student Jael Oriekaose was among the 450 individuals who assisted around 6,000 Redbirds during Move-In Week. His shift started 15 minutes early when he spotted disaster about to strike on his way to Watterson Towers.
Oriekaose passed a line of students moving into Manchester Hall. He noticed an overconfident student had stacked three storage bins onto a university-supplied cart. It wobbled perilously, and just as Oriekaose reached the student, the tower crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Personal items scattered across the sidewalk in a wave of clinks and clangs.
“I could see the fear in her eyes. It can be a scary thing to have your stuff out all over the place,” said Oriekaose, a Naperville native who studies creative technologies and works as a graduate assistant for University Housing Services (UHS). “But my friend and I jumped in, helped her out, and got all her stuff back in order. I was glad we were there.”
Move-in volunteers ranged from “Curb Birds” who helped unload vehicles, to staff members loaning out carts and tools, to resident assistants operating elevators inside residence halls.
Hillary Campos ’19, M.S. ’20, UHS assistant director of marketing and communications, described the mission of Move-In Week as “getting everyone in, in an effective and organized manner,” but quickly noted the symbolic nature of the week’s events.
“Once everyone is in, it’s officially the beginning of the school year, but it represents more than that,” she said. “It’s students leaving home for the first time and starting their journey as college students.”
A majority of those moving in are first-year students. For them, and many of their family members and friends assisting their move-in, the experience helps form their first impression of Illinois State.
“Moving can be stressful and very confusing,” said junior Danfred Razon, a psychology and creative writing double major from Aurora, and second-year resident assistant at Watterson. “Our presence here hopefully makes things run a little smoother and can just help make the transition a little less stressful.”
Campos and her UHS student volunteers assist during Move-In Week conscious of their own experiences moving into college housing for the first time. They suspect many among the hundreds of Move-In Week volunteers are doing the same as they lend a hand to students discovering their home for the next school year.
“Having people directing you, giving you pointers on where to go, where to park—that’s important,” Oriekaose said. “And sometimes just having a friendly face who is willing to help out is all you need.”
