Five Senses of New Student Move-In Day

For our P’26 families, we do have recordings of our two largest family Orientation programs online now: you can view the Flourish in the Forest program (from 8/17) and the What to Know Before You Go program (from 8/18).

Today’s Daily Deac is an amalgamation of many things I experienced on Move-In Day, written in the “Five Senses” style, where I tell you what I see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Here goes. My main perches for the day were the LJVM Coliseum (aka the Joel) for check-in, the Campus Services and Information Fair in the Sutton Center, walking around campus, and from the Flourish in the Forest program in Wait Chapel.

I see….

• Lots and lots of SUVs at the Joel for check in. It makes sense because students typically have a lot of things to move in 🙂
• Moments of decision (or indecision) between students and families: do I go alone for check in? or do I bring my parents/family members with me?
• Our wonderful cheerleaders bringing spirit to the day at check in as our marching band played.
• Students in lots of different kinds of outfits: shorts and t-shirt, tennis skirts/dresses, even the occasional sweatshirt when it was still cool in the morning.
• Lots of my colleagues – directing traffic, getting students checked in, and manning tables at our Campus Services fair in Sutton, mingling at the post-Flourish in the Forest reception.
• Intermittent sunny and cloudy skies during the day. At night, a lovely glow on the Quad from the building lights.
• As the day goes on, some faces that suggest people are hot, tired, or overwhelmed. Even if their belongings were carried to their rooms by volunteers, there is still a lot of physical labor that goes into unpacking, walking across campus, etc. And there are a lot of emotions people feel too. If you’re like me, those emotions show on your face 🙂
• Lots of swag on the tables at the Campus Services fair – pens and lanyards and candy and some funnily-packaged things of hand sanitizer (IYKYK).
• A tiny dog’s head peeking out of a woman’s purse.
• A steady stream of families walking along sidewalks, sometimes carrying things, other times looking like they were quite pleased NOT to be carrying things anymore.
• Younger siblings running on the Quad grass and enjoying cookies after the Flourish in the Forest program. The Quad grass feels so good – I am glad they have discovered it.
• The occasional moist eye of a parent or loved one as they talk about their child.

I hear…

• Our terrific Spirit of the Old Gold and Black marching band playing the fight song and other upbeat, peppy tunes at the Joel as students checked in (they were not there the whole day, just for a time).
• Students introducing themselves to each other while waiting in line to check in. They are comparing residence halls: “I’m in Collins” then “Me too! What floor?” or “I’m in Luter,” etc.
• Several different languages being spoken by students and families. I can recognize Spanish for sure, and I am assuming I heard Mandarin as well.
• The familiar ‘buzzing beehive’ sound of a lot of people all talking and chatting at the Campus Services fair. I can’t always pick out the words, but it is clear there are many conversations happening at once.
• Many of our staff asking questions of students as they come to the various tables: “Where are you living?” “Are you settled in?” “Have you met your roommate?”
• Laughter – which really makes me happy. It doesn’t all sound like nervous laughter either. It sounds like people feeling at home with themselves and each other, and having a good time during the crazy adventure that is move-in.
• Many stories from the chats I had with families at the various events. I loved hearing about where you are from, what brought your child to Wake, your hopes and dreams for them.

I smell…

• A cool breeze on the air in the morning.
• Hints of perfume or cologne as people pass by.
• A bit of humidity in the air – but thankfully not too much.
• The occasional hint of salt from people who have clearly been moving in boxes and unpacking, and have sweated just a bit 🙂
• A whiff of sweet-smelling cookies at the Flourish in the Forest reception.
• A welcome scent of cool water as I took a drink from my water bottle.

I taste…

• A delicious cup of strong coffee brewed in my moka pot before starting the day at the Joel.
• A red Starburst from the University Counseling Center table at the Campus Services fair, which was hitting me right when I needed a bit of sugar to pep me up mid-afternoon.
• Diet Pepsi (my drug of choice) and Gatorade, which I nursed throughout the afternoon.

I feel…

• The morning breeze blowing strands of hair around my face during Joel check-in.
• Sun on my face, but it isn’t too warm, just pleasant.
• Grateful for this weather. I can’t tell you the number of times we have moved students in when it has been 90+ degrees with 90% humidity! You have no idea how lucky you are, P’26s.
• A little bit anxious observing all the family dynamics – some students seem to want to avoid [real or perceived] parental embarrassment, some students want to plow ahead very independently (sometimes to their loved ones’ chagrin). Some families for whom this is their last (or only) child to go to college seem to feel a special kind of pang as it hits them that they will be empty nesters.
• Soreness in my feet. I did a lot of standing and walking 🙂
• A change in my foot soreness depending on where I am standing in Sutton – the carpeted area has a lot more padding than the gym floor.
• A palpable sense of relief from some families. Having been on campus all day and having had the chance to hear from some of our administrators and faculty at Flourish, they seem to be more comfortable about leaving their students with us and heading home.
• Per the above, that makes me happy and proud. We want you to be confident you have left your students with a community that cares.
• An enormous sense of gratitude for all the families who have told me they like the Daily Deac. I would not be able to do the work I love if there was not a demand for the blog, so I am grateful to each of you for helping me live my best life 🙂

So much happened on new student move-in day that I can’t capture it all, but hope you enjoyed these snippets.

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)

August 19, 2022