On Moving In Day, campus community pitches in to welcome new students
SUNY New Paltz celebrated its annual Moving In Day on Aug. 20, when more than 1,100 first-year students and their families were joined by 14 residence directors, 107 residence assistants, 27 faculty and staff volunteers and many more students and student-athletes who volunteered their time to help new arrivals settle on campus for the fall 2015 semester.
The teams of volunteers included President Donald P. Christian and his wife Sandy, New Paltz mascot Hugo the Hawk, and even our resident goose patrol dog Augie, all of whom lent helping hands moving clothes, computers and reminders of home into residence halls across campus.
“I’m delighted to welcome our incoming first-year and transfer students to campus, and I’m heartened to see that a number of campus faculty, staff and students have turned out to do the same,” said President Donald P. Christian. “We see our annual Moving In Day not only as an important first step for the students and families who are just beginning their journeys at SUNY New Paltz, but as our first of many opportunities to get to know them, work alongside them and help ensure their time here is a success.”
Moving In Day also gives students who are familiar with campus life a chance to introduce themselves to incoming students and share tips and tricks for managing the first few weeks of a new semester.
“We know how it feels to be a first-year student,” said Johnny Lugo ‘16 of the Rejoyce in Jesus club. “There’s a lot of loading and unloading to be done, and for our group it’s a pleasure to help people out. I enjoy it.”
Of course, for parents bidding farewell to children starting a new phase of their lives, Moving In Day may be bittersweet: the closing of one chapter and the opening of another. Some parents, however, have a better sense of what their children’s experience will be than others.
Alumni Michael Weiner ‘90g (Pre-K-6: General) and Jill Weiner (née Holtzman) ’88 (Political Science) from Woodridge, N.Y. took a break between trips inside Esopus Hall as they helped their daughter, Alison, prepare for her time at New Paltz.
“New Paltz is a perfect fit; our daughter is far enough away to feel independent, but close to home in case she needs something,” Michael said. “We both know that she’s going to get a great education here, so today’s a happy day.”
For the Weiner family, having a chance to reconnect with the College and the surrounding area is just an added bonus to their daughter’s decision to enroll.
“I liked the area so much, I wanted to stay here,” Jill said. “Now I’ve got an excuse to come back and visit!”
Incoming first-year students will receive an official welcome to the SUNY New Paltz community at the 2015 Convocation Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 21. Convocation will begin at noon in the Athletic and Wellness Center, and will include keynote addresses from President Christian, welcoming remarks from faculty, alumni and current students and an outdoor barbeque.