Move-In Day Offers Freshmen Warm Welcome

by April K. Martin, Student Newswriter

Baylor University students returned to campus Aug. 21, with about 2,700 freshmen making the big move into the university's 11 residence halls. While students and their parents struggled with boxes, trunks and bulks of food and toiletries, the labor was eased quite a bit by Baylor Welcome Week staff, who greeted the incoming freshmen and their families with warm smiles and helping hands.
Residence Hall doors opened bright and early that morning for the new Baylor students. Newcomers only had a couple of directions to follow before they began the long, hot journey of traveling back and forth from their vehicles with masses of luggage.
"It was hectic but fun," said Mount Pleasant freshman Lauren Lee, who moved into Collins Hall.
Lee's mother Judy, a 1979 Baylor graduate, found the experience to be bittersweet. "It's been fun to decorate, but it's been sad for me. I've been trying not to cry; she's my only daughter."
Many of the rooms in Collins Hall were lavishly decorated with matching comforters, collages of pictures, and an array of decorative lamps and pillows. Penland Hall, however, posed a bit more facile scene.
Dallas freshman John Miller, who moved into Penland Hall, said his move-in "wasn't bad." Miller said the Welcome Week staff members assistance was appreciated. "They've been very helpful and very organized; they're really friendly and eager to make you a part of the Baylor family."
Welcome Week staff members, like Michelle Frederickson of Katy and Alice Edwards of San Angelo, drifted back to their own move-in experiences.
"It definitely brings back memories for me," said Frederickson, who recalled the hustle and bustle of moving in but feeling welcomed.
"We want to make sure they have a good experience," Edwards said.
Many of the new students were excited about the school year and already interested in the wide variety of academic and extracurricular activities offered at Baylor. Kevin Lee, a freshman theatre arts major from Medway, Mass., said he came to Baylor because of the excellent theater program and looked forward to being active with the department.
Despite the grueling summer temperatures, the mood throughout the day was filled with excitement and tearful goodbyes. For some, the hardest part of the day wasn't the actual move-in.
After a two-hour grind of moving, Tyler freshman Cameron Carter said jokingly, "Getting my parents to leave," was the hardest part of the day. Carter professed his enthusiasm for the school year, expecting to have "a lot of fun, and learn a little bit, too."
Classes began at 98 a.m. Monday, Aug.25.