“Operation Move-In” to welcome nearly 4,000 students

August 7, 2006

Fall semester classes won’t begin for a few more days, but Georgia Southern University will still be a very busy place the weekend before classes begin.

Some 4,000 campus residents with belongings ranging from clothes to comforters and computers to clock radios will arrive at the University’s 11 residence halls on Friday, Aug. 11, and will be greeted by an annual event that the Department of University Housing has dubbed ‘Operation Move-In.”

Check-in for the students is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Recreation Activity Center (RAC). Classes begin Monday, Aug. 14.

‘We’ve taken a number of steps to make sure that everything goes smoothly,” said Allison Scott, coordinator of occupancy management and assignments. ‘We’ve shared pertinent information and directions with the students and their parents through a presentation we made at Orientation, our Web site and a reminder postcard.

‘We’ve also been working closely with the Office of Public Safety and the Transportation Services people to plan for the flow of traffic on campus,” Scott said.

In keeping with a Georgia Southern tradition, more than 100 administrators, faculty and staff from across the University spectrum have offered to lend a hand with ‘Operation Move-In.” The volunteers will assist the University Housing staff by greeting students and their parents, giving directions and even carrying boxes and suitcases.

In addition, Georgia Southern organizations offering to chip in include Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the Baptist Student Union, the Student Government Association and the Hispanic Student Organization.

‘Operation Move-In’ has gotten rave reviews from students and parents in the past,” Scott said. ‘The Housing personnel are always well-prepared, and the volunteers are a huge help, too. We are simply trying to continue Georgia Southern’s niche as a caring institution.”

The overwhelming majority of the students who will be living on campus will get into town on Aug. 11, to begin the centralized check-in process. The initial group of students is scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m.

According to a schedule that is based on the month of their birth, the students will first report to the Recreation Activity Center, where they will receive their room keys and other important materials. They will then proceed to their assigned residence halls to complete the check-in process.

At each residence hall, there will be designated curbside stations where the students can unload their belongings from their vehicles before taking them on to their rooms.

More than likely, a few students who will be living on campus won’t arrive until Saturday, Aug. 12. Those students will report directly to their assigned residence halls.

As they settle into their new homes and get ready for the first day of class, the students will be encouraged to participate in a series of ‘Welcome Week” activities that are designed to be fun as well as informative.

‘Welcome Week” will include a cookout on Sweetheart Circle, a trip to the Splash in the ‘Boro water park, a comedy show in the Russell Union Ballroom and an X-Box tournament.

On the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 22, ‘House Calls” will return to the residence halls for the third year.

Sponsored by University Housing, ‘House Calls” features teams of administrators, faculty and staff who visit first-year students in their rooms and welcome them to campus.f