USU’s TOP ADMINISTRATORS TO HAVE MOVING EXPERIENCE SUNDAY

When some 500 new students show up at their resident hall for the first time this Sunday, it will be a moving experience for Utah State University’s top administrators.

Literally.

University deans and members of the president’s Executive Committee will roll up their sleeves from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. welcoming new, first-year students and helping them move into their new digs.

“This provides an occasion for us to offer words of encouragement to our new students and thanks to our very important Utah State parents,” said Kermit L. Hall, Utah State University president. “This promises to be the beginning of a great tradition at Utah State.”

Some 500 new students, enrolled in the university’s connections (orientation) course, will be living in five campus Living Learning communities.

The university’s Living Learning centers house 3,000 students in all, including 620 families, said Steven Jenson, USU director of housing and food services.

USU housing and food services also provides theme housing with many of the centers directly tied to an academic program sponsored by a specific college. In addition, two halls have been set aside for undeclared students who are part of the Pathfinder program. Students in this program participate in seminars designed specifically to help them find the best major for them, Jenson said.

There is also a global village for international and honor students, an American Sign Language floor, a leadership house and a Washakie/Circle of Dreams floor that caters to multi-cultural and American Indian students, he said.

All of the housing units have internet access and computer labs throughout to accommodate study groups and tutoring. This year nine apartments are set aside specifically for faculty. This provides additional opportunities for students to interact with faculty outside the classroom, Jenson said.

New this year is the doubling of the number of resident assistants at Mountain View and Valley View towers, both primary homes for students participating in the university’s Success program. Also, six rooms in each of the towers have been converted into study rooms, he said. New safety features include the installation of sprinklers and fully addressable fire alarms as well as electronic locks in several single housing units, with the remaining to be completed next year. And if a student has a clogged drain, that’s even covered with the promise of quick response. So fast, in fact, Utah State University housing was recently nationally ranked No. 1 in maintenance response.

The extra care for students‚ academic and physical needs is apparently paying off for the university. Two weeks before school was to start, the occupancy rate was at 92 percent, which means both the university president and the director of housing can use all the helping hands they can get come Sunday when students begin moving in to their new living quarters.

“I think it’s great President Hall and other university administrators are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to greet our new students and their parents and help them into the residence halls,” Jenson said.

For administrators worried they may be past their prime moving days, Hall has assured them not to worry about bad backs or bum knees. There are plenty of opportunities ranging from serving refreshments to assisting with check-in or showing students around, he said.

It’s not about being able to bench-press 30 pounds, he told administrators, it’s more about “your support in welcoming our new students in the company of your colleagues.”