YSU students brave rain for move-in day

August 20, 2017 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Just one year ago Breann Jones was a freshman moving into her Youngstown State University dormitory for the first time.

On Saturday, the early education major from East Liverpool saw the other side of the process as a resident assistant helping other students to settle into their new lives on campus.

Close to 600 new students moved into on-campus housing Saturday at the university.

There were about 120 students already living on campus for extracurricular programs, including fall sports, and about 250 returning students are expected to move into campus housing today, according to the university’s office of Housing and Residence Life.

The university’s total enrollment is more than 12,000 students, many of whom live off campus.

RAs such as Jones checked the names of new students off a list and gave them keys, booklets and other welcome materials. The students and their families started arriving on campus about 10 a.m.

Temperatures were in the high 70s, though it started pouring rain around 2 p.m.

Tracianna Brown managed to load most of her belongings into her Kilcawley House dormitory before the rain hit.

Brown said she feels fairly comfortable about starting college, as she already knows her roommate and has experience with college-level classes through the College Credit Plus program.

Freshmen will have further opportunities to acclimate during orientation activities before the first day of classes, which is Wednesday.

Haleigh Anderson, a freshman who plans to study special education, strolled across the campus with her family early Saturday.

Anderson had just finished moving her possessions into a triple dorm room in Kilcawley House.

“I’m not nervous anymore now that I’ve moved in,” she said. “I’m really excited. It’s homey now.”