Volunteers from across campus, including Louie the Triton, welcomed new students and their families to the University of Missouri–St. Louis Thursday during Move-In Day at Oak Hall. Volunteers pitched in to unload cars and shuttle new students’ belongings to their rooms. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
All morning long, a steady stream of eager volunteers moved red roller carts filled to the brim with dorm-room essentials from the parking lot to the lobby of Oak Hall on South Campus at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Thursday’s bustling operation at the 130,000-square-foot residence hall marked the annual Move-In Day for first-year UMSL students and offered ample evidence that the Office of Residential Life and Housing has the process down to a science.
This is the second consecutive year that the move-in schedule has been spread across three days to create a more orderly, efficient process. On Wednesday, students enrolled in the Pierre Laclede Honors College joined a handful of groups already settled, including fall athletes, some international students and students in the Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education programs. Meanwhile, returning students headed back to Oak Hall on Friday.
Volunteers kept roller carts flowing from the parking lot to Oak Hall throughout the day.
Kiki Marshall, resident director at Oak Hall, said Thursday’s event followed the previous year’s blueprint, while it also saw an uptick in participation from faculty, staff and students. Volunteers from across campus greeted families in the Oak Hall parking lot, unloaded their cars and shuttled the students’ belongings to their rooms. The helping hands freed students to pick up their Triton Cards and head to check-in tables, where resident assistants then escorted them to their new quarters.
Allison Baltz, a student recruitment specialist in the Office of Admissions, was just one of many UMSL community members contributing to the effort. Baltz remembered her own hectic experience moving onto campus as a new college student and said it motivated her to bring a little “Triton magic” to the proceedings.
“In admissions, we work with these students all year, getting them through the application process and getting them admitted,” she said. “So, it’s really nice to see it come full circle and help them get started before classes.”
Allison Baltz (right) helps load a roller cart.
Marshall said things ran smoothly thanks to the care of volunteers like Baltz and added that the new students seemed to appreciate new touches to Oak Hall, which will be at capacity during the fall semester.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive things this year,” Marshall said. “People are enjoying the updates that we made. We painted some walls red, and we added a mural. We have a new dining company, and they’ve been really great in stocking our C-Store and having some new options for students. We have some new signage up just to give students directions on the guest policy and rules in the game room and things like that.”
Logan Huff was already well acquainted with UMSL before arriving on campus Thursday morning. As a student at Parkway South High School, Huff participated in music camps at the university and sang in two winter concerts at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Those positive experiences informed his decision to become a Triton.
UMSL Orientation Leader Ally McIntosh moves a roller cart into Oak Hall. Student leaders, faculty and staff took care of the heavy lifting, so new students could pick up their Triton Cards and check in.
“I actually went to one of the Acappelloozas my freshman year,” he said. “From there, I knew Jim Henry was the choir professor and director of Acappellooza, and I was like, ‘This is just a really nice place, and I don’t see why I should choose anywhere else when I know the choir director.’”
Huff plans to major in either music composition or music education, with a concentration in vocal performance. The baritone bass auditioned for the University Singers in February and earned a place in the concert choir. He also plans to audition for Vocal Point, UMSL’s a cappella ensemble.
“I’m a little biased, but I’m most looking forward to the choir classes,” Huff said. “I’m just excited to see what songs we do, see what kind of people I meet. I’m excited for all the concerts, too.”
Nashara Flowers made the journey to UMSL from Nassau, Bahamas. The university’s reputation has grown in the island nation in recent years thanks to innovative partnerships with the Ministry of Education in The Bahamas and The Bahamas Agriculture & Marine Science Institute. Flowers plans to pursue a degree in Spanish in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies.
Nashara Flowers; her godchild, La’Shanta Rolle; and mother, Vonetta Darling, stop to strike a pose with Louie the Triton.
She was a bit nervous the week before Move-In Day, but that apprehensiveness turned into excitement after arriving in St. Louis. It helped that her mother, Vonetta Darling, and godchild, La’Shanta Rolle, were on hand to help her get acclimated. She also had a chance to connect with other Bahamian students.
“I think the UMSL community is very welcoming,” she said. “There’s a lot of Bahamians at UMSL currently, and I hope that the Bahamian population expands.”
Kobe Hunt made the six-hour drive from Milwaukee with his mother, Heidi. Hunt is planning to study economics with an eye toward law school after graduation. His high school’s college advising program helped him land on UMSL for his undergraduate education. He applied to 30 universities and narrowed his list to 10 top contenders before making a final decision.
The streamlined process helped limit traffic jams in the lobby of Oak Hall.
“Those last 10 schools, I went and visited,” he said. “I thought, ‘Which one do I like the location of most? Which one do I like the dorms the most? Which one do I like the food at most?’ UMSL low-key took the cake for all of those.”
Haylee Jones also chose UMSL on the strength of a campus tour with her parents. Jones, who graduated from North County High School in Bonne Terre, Missouri, is planning to major in criminology and criminal justice.
Hunt and Jones are both looking forward to making new friends, and Hunt is also hoping to work in game-day operations with UMSL Athletics.
Baltz had some sage advice for new students as they embarked on an exciting new chapter.
“Enjoy every moment and soak it in,” she said. “Your time on campus is what you make of it, so get involved as much as you can.”
