About 1,300 take part in YSU’s Move-In Weekend

August 17, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Jessica Berry’s big move will be segueing from high-school life into being part of Youngstown State University’s nursing program.

But the Poland woman’s first move is into one of the university’s dormitories.

“I hope to meet new people,” the YSU freshman said Sunday as she was preparing to move into the Lyden House, one of five on-campus residence halls. “I was going to join the swim team, but I’m going to focus on taking nursing classes.”

Before setting her sights on YSU, Berry had attended Poland Seminary High School and lived for about two years in Moundsville, W.Va.

She also was among the estimated 1,300 students who were part of Saturday and Sunday’s Move-In Weekend, in which students moved into the Lyden, Kilcawley, Cafaro, Wick and Weller houses as well as into the 408-bed University Courtyard Apartments.

Classes for the fall semester get underway Wednesday.

Roughly 10 percent of students attending YSU this fall will live on campus, a slight increase from last year, noted Danielle Meyer, director of the Office of Housing & Residence Life.

Room and board for the residence halls is $8,990 for the school year, which is in keeping with an average 2 percent to 3 percent increase yearly, Meyer explained, adding that all five halls are full.

“I encourage freshmen to start in traditional housing because we have more staffing and we have more structure, and we can help them transition into independent living,” said Meyer, noting that the halls have about 65 percent freshmen and 35 percent upperclassmen.

Also excited but a tad nervous about being away from home for the first time was Maddie Pacifico of Shadyside, Ohio, who plans to be a dental hygienist.

“I want to have fun and meet new people. I [also] want to get into student activities,” Pacifico said, adding that she heard about YSU via her high school’s College Day event.

Maddie Sekely of Canfield has yet to declare a major, but that hasn’t dimmed the freshman’s enthusiasm toward entering college life. Sekely, a 2015 South Range High School graduate, said she intends to begin by taking English, math and other general-education courses, then figure out what direction her educational path may take.

YSU was a draw for Sekely partly because she knows a lot of students, and this gives her an opportunity to meet more, she said.

It is hoped many students will take advantage of the university’s extracurricular activities, entertainment options, sports teams and other offerings, and chip away at its longtime reputation as mainly a commuter college, noted Olivia Cupp, associate director of the Office of Housing & Residence Life.

“It’s important for them to find a balance between focusing on academics as their main priority, yet being involved in what the campus has to offer,” said Cupp, who had spent three years as the Lyden House’s coordinator.

This fall, an estimated 330 students will live in the Lyden House, she explained, adding that it will be a diverse mix of athletes, international students and those in charge of activity groups.

In addition, YSU has placed a greater emphasis on student activities and employment at the same time the university is making more connections with downtown Youngstown, she said.

“YSU is a fun place to be. I’ve been here 10 years,” Cupp added.