Iowa freshmen assigned move-in times, dates

This year's University of Iowa incoming freshman, for the first time, have been assigned times and dates to move in to the residence halls in an effort to get everyone in town, unpacked and ready to participate in an inaugural three-day immersion program for new students.

The plan is to get all the freshmen moved in over a two-day period – Aug. 17 and 18, the Wednesday and Thursday before fall semester classes begin – and have them free by Friday for a weekend packed with welcome activities.

“We decided not to let students move on Friday and then expect them to start the program on Friday night,” said Greg Thompson, manager for residence life operations.

The inaugural move-in assignments have been doled out in four-hour blocks over those two days – from 8 a.m. to noon, noon to 4 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone assigned a room ending in an odd number will move in Wednesday, and rooms ending in even numbers will welcome occupants Thursday, Thompson said.

When freshmen and their families pull up to their assigned residence halls on either day, they'll be greeted by volunteers waiting to unload vehicles, cart luggage upstairs and direct parent drivers to satellite parking lots meant for longer stays.

“We want to turn over those parking spots quickly to keep the traffic flow going,” Thompson said.

Because the new immersion program and move-in schedule provides less leeway for arriving freshman, Thompson said, families might experience heavier traffic around town and more parking congestion at the residence halls.

“In the past we had parking spaces available, but now they'll need to be out,” Thompson said.

An estimated 4,500 to 4,700 new students will be moving in to the university's 11 dorms the week before classes start on Aug. 22, according to Thompson. The assignments aim to pace the moving traffic to 700-some students per four-hour block.

“It's a lot different than what we've done in the past,” Thompson said.

Previously, the university opened the residence halls for incoming freshman on Friday, and a sort of moving free-for-all ensued over the weekend.

But, by the time Friday afternoon rolls around this year, freshman should be moved in and gearing up to participate in a new immersion program that will have them busy for the next three days with activities and events designed to help them connect with their peers, learn about the university and transition to college life.

Programming will address expectations for students along with goal-setting, safety and wellness. It will begin with a kick-off at Kinnick Stadium on Friday and close with convocation on the Pentacrest and a block party at the home of UI President Sally Mason on Sunday.

Freshman will be put in groups and placed with leaders who will get them involved early and show them how to stay connected to campus activities and their peers, said Sarah Hansen, co-chairperson of the new welcome and orientation event for the class of 2015.

“This is the first time we are bringing them to campus earlier,” Hansen said. “We wanted to change the way we are doing orientation and think about, ‘what is it students need to hear a couple of days before they walk into a lecture?'”

The university previously offered welcome activities to students during the first week of classes, and Hansen said the new freshmen immersion program won't replace the welcome week.

“We just wanted to work backwards a couple of days to add some additional experiences to round that process out,” she said.

Getting freshman in town early will play a large role in making that happen, according to Hansen.

“And since we want them here in mass, we want them to move in a more controlled fashion,” she said.

Students who can't make their assigned move-in time for one reason or another can call and ask to be accommodated, according to Thompson.

“But we're not making any guarantees,” he said.