Bradley’s Newest Class Arrives on Campus

08/30/2022 1:03 AM

A rite of passage for many American teenagers – and their families – is the college move-in experience. It represents that giant step toward independence, living away from home.

For Bradley’s incoming first-year students, it was a nervous moment pulling up to campus last Saturday to begin their college life. Bradley staff, police and volunteers made sure the process went as smooth as possible.

Even the occasional foul weather didn’t dampen the Class of 2026’s mood as they worked with their fellow students, many who volunteered to help unload and get everything into their new dorm rooms.

Activities around University Hall, the destination of a large number of first-year students, was by far the busiest, with half dozen cars being unloaded by scores of volunteers at a time. Geisert Hall, which expected several hundred new residents, also enjoyed a smooth process thanks to the smaller unloading area that allowed for the volunteer teams to quickly service the incoming vehicles.

Tom Coy, the executive director of student involvement, was especially happy with the number of volunteers – especially those doing the heavy lifting – that helped to ensure everything ran smoothly.

Several of the volunteer movers, when asked how things are going, just pointed at their soaked shirts. A combination of rain and sweat from moving fridges, boxes and other dorm essentials up flights of stairs ensured these fraternity and sorority volunteers got their clicks and workout in.

“The biggest challenge was carrying things up the stairs,” said student Julian Salgado. “I helped carry a couple mini fridges and TVs up the stairs and it was a work out.” So was the huge TV he moved into University Hall. He and his fellow volunteers, Orlando Villagomez and Owen Cox, joked future roommates needed to coordinate better since the three men had to move stuff back downstairs when the room got too full.

Incoming first-year student Danny Molawa thought the process went very smoothly. His mom, Jennifer, noted it took only 10 minutes for them to pull in, unload the car and get everything into her son’s dorm.

Another hotbed of activity was Olin Quad. Along with an information booth, several student organizations set up meet-and-greet stations to introduce incoming students to the endless list of activities and clubs. Several food trucks brought a taste of Peoria to campus, a welcome sight after a busy morning of moving bags and boxes.

Many Bradley Police officers helped to direct traffic to ensure cars went to the right dorms. Even the rain didn’t make the day too difficult.

“Went a lot better than expected,” said Officer Jake Kencke. “No one got too frustrated; it ended up a good day.”

– Mel Huang