Sights from Move-In Day 2019 at UWM: Sighs, hugs and tears. Bags, boxes and bins. Families and students coordinating their movements on smartphones. Towering stacks of plastic-wrapped possessions moving on bright yellow carts.<\/p>\n
That was the scene Tuesday morning as students began moving into campus residence halls.<\/p>\n
About 2,400 of the approximately 3,800 students moving into UWM residence halls this week are new first-year students at UWM.<\/p>\n
\u201cExciting\u201d was the word most of the new students used in describing the move-in day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a fun time,\u201d said Matt Becker, a first-year student from Hartford, Wisconsin. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole new stage of my life.\u201d Like many students, his family \u2013 dad Joe, mom Cheri and younger sister Jane, accompanied him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad came here back in the day,\u201d said Becker, earning a wince from his dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited, nervous\u2026 all of the above,\u201d said Zane Schreiner, a first-year engineering student and Air Force ROTC cadet from Rib Lake. \u201cIt\u2019s all going smoothly so far,\u201d said mom Lisa Schreiner as she and her mother, Laurie Schreiner, helped Zane pack up a moving cart.<\/p>\n
Arran Borkowski a civil engineering major from Appleton, also had help from his family with mom Kate, dad Todd and brother Kyle, a UWM student, giving a hand.\u00a0 His father, aunt and uncle are all UWM grads.<\/p>\n
Zach Rydberg from southern Indiana was coordinating with his new roommate, Phillip Yoo, as they and their parents prepared to transfer Rydberg\u2019s stuff up to their room.<\/p>\n
More than 400 volunteers and housing employees were on hand to assist students and families with the move-in. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice to be able to help,\u201d said Dominique Smith, who works in the Dean of Students office. She and Cailin Ahnen were helping students sign in and pick up their room keys. \u201cWe\u2019re all working together, and it\u2019s well organized, Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting to be part of this,\u201d said sophomore Krystal Magnusson, who was volunteering for the second year at move-in day. She was busy directing a steady flow of students passing through the lobby of the Sandburg Towers and answering hundreds of questions as the morning progressed.<\/p>\n
The residence halls were bustling, with students and parents navigating parking, packing and transporting\u00a0 their possessions, asking questions, filling out forms and resolving problems.<\/p>\n
Move-in to the Sandburg Towers started Tuesday and continues Wednesday. In addition to Sandburg, students will be moving into Cambridge (Aug. 27-28), RiverView (Aug. 27) Kenilworth (Sept. 1) and Purin (Aug. 27-29) during the week.<\/p>\n
Among this year\u2019s renovations and additions in UWM\u2019s five residential communities are:
\n\u2014 RiverView has a new movie theater\/gaming room, as well as a new dining option, the RiverView Eatery.
\n\u2014 Sandburg will have a new Student Leadership Resource Room\/Collaborative Space.
\n\u2014 Renovations have started at the Sandburg Hall Towers to update facilities and improve ADA access.<\/p>\n
Students will enjoy a week of fun and activities before classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Fall Welcome events include a concert by Kesha, a campus campout, grocery bingo, crafts, a boat tour and trips to the Milwaukee Art Museum, Fiserv Forum, Miller Park and the Harley-Davidson Museum.<\/p>\n