Plenty of emotions, activity on move-in day
SLIPPERY ROCK — Residence halls on Slippery Rock University's upper campus became a beehive of activity Thursday morning, as first-time and returning students inundated the school on the first day of move-in weekend.
The university expected the majority of the class of 2020 — some 1,584 students — to move in on Thursday, and rolled out hundreds of students and members of the residence life staff to greet them. The volunteers, clad in green shirts, swarmed arriving vehicles to help fellow students.
For some old hats, like Frank Piccolino of Pittsburgh, there was no trepidation or sorrow to mark the occasion. On Thursday, Piccolino was moving his 19-year-old daughter, Miranda, a journalism major and sophomore, back onto campus. Miranda is the third child Piccolino has shepherded back to college, and the machinations have become routine.
“It's hectic, but it's actually a joy,” Piccolino said.
Along to help was Miranda's older sister, Haylee Burke, who is an SRU alum who graduated in 2011. She now works at a Pittsburgh-based IT firm and said she jumped at a chance to return to the university and see all the changes made to campus since she earned her degree.
“As always, there's tons of stuff to get moved, but it's nice,” Burke said.
For Donald and Ann Bortnick of Conneautville, who were moving their daughter, Leah, into SRU for her freshman year, emotion played a larger role. While the freshman secondary education major was off getting the keys to her dorm room, the Bortnicks waited along the sidewalk and reflected on the gamut their emotions had run. The family was impressed by the volunteer effort to help students move in, but even the whirlwind of activity wasn't enough to keep them from shedding tears over Leah's first year away from home.
“It's a whole range of emotion, but they're really tears of joy,” said Ann Bortnick.
For the students themselves — most from Western Pennsylvania but some from out-of-state — Thursday was no less conflicting.
“I'm pretty much both nervous and excited,” said Rachel Beichler, 18, a freshman exercise science major from Maryland. “It's farther from home than I expected to be. But I liked the PT program and when I came here and saw the campus, I fell in love.”
Beichler said she was excited to participate in the four days of activities SRU has planned for move-in weekend, and hopes to make friends fast and participate in intramural sports like softball and volleyball. But the thing she was most excited for — meeting her roommate, with whom she's corresponded via e-mail since earlier this summer — would have to wait until Thursday afternoon.
Sophomore Kristin Coatney, 19, of Douglassville, Pa., was reveling in the move-in day hustle and bustle, after her move-in day last year was ruined by torrential rains.
“Last year was kind of an awkward experience — not at all what I imagined it would be,” said Coatney, who is majoring in exercise science. This year she said she intends to get the most out of the entire weekend.
And freshman psychology major Mallory Waszak, 18, of Cleveland, Ohio, said she was working on coming out of her shell.
“I'm very excited to meet new people and walk around campus,” she said. “It feels like home here.”
That's exactly the kind of reaction SRU professors David Jordan and Carena Winters are looking for. Jordan, a business professor, and Winters, who works in SRU's exercise science department, were among the volunteers.
The two educators say they look forward to move-in weekend, and view it as a chance to connect with students and their parents from the very beginning of their college experience. “I love being that first contact,” said Winters. “I think it's really helpful for upset moms and nervous dads. ”
