A Glimpse Back at Move-in 2014
Perfect weather, no Red Sox games make for a smooth event
Dillon Sienko (CAS’17) hauls a mattress across Harry Agganis Way. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Swan Yee Aung (CAS’18) (left) and dad, from Myanmar. Photo by Cydney Scott
Checking in. Photo by Cydney Scott
Kiera Muckenhirn (CFA’16, CAS’16) (left) and Annabelle Cousins (CFA’16) reunite with Laura Detwiler (CFA’16, CAS’16) (center). Photo by Cydney Scott
Michelle Yelaska (SED’16) and her cello traveled from Chicago. Photo by Cydney Scott
Mariya Chulichkova (COM'15), center, keeps a calm attitude while waiting in line to get her keys during move in on the South Campus. Photo by Cydney Scott
Jaclyn Vazquez (CGS’13, COM’15) (left) and her mom, Nancy, trudge up to Jaclyn’s South Campus room. Photo by Cydney Scott
Audrey Awich (CAS’16) and her brother, Joel, take a breather by the GSU. Photo by Cydney Scott
FYSOP staff leader Gabrielle Meggett-Barone (CGS'17) tries not to stress while moving into her Stuvi2 suite with the help of her grandparents Tony and Angelica Barone of NJ. Photo by Cydney Scott
Students move in. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
FYSOP students (from left) Arman Maqsudlu (CAS’17), Keela Sweeney (CGS’15), and Shelby Spencer (SAR’16). Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Boston University Sophomore Paola Alonso, moves into her dorm. Photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki
Move in volunteers Gabriel Gonzalez, left, and Mark Holaday, center, help Boston University sophomore Keri Singer move into her dorm. Photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki
Michael Vonnoh (COM'17), from left, Alexis Washburn (CAS'17), Kelsey McNeely (CGS'15) and Ana Hall (CAS'17) show their Scarlett Squad enthusiasm by cheering for freshmen and their parents as they move into Claflin Hall August 30, 2014. Photo by Cydney Scott
Coco Hermez (SMG'17) puts together a shelf with her father during move in. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
George Stern (left) (SMG'18) and Eugene Kim (CAS'18) practice their putting skills after moving in to their dorm. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Vickie Ha (SGT'15) directs people where to pick up their keys. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Move-in reflections at 575 Commonwealth Ave, the former Howard Johnson’s. Photo by Cydney Scott
Kai Bernardini (CAS’17) (left), his sister, Rena, and girlfriend, Rachel, take a break. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
In the gallery above, watch scenes from BU’s 2014 Move-in.
It takes the kind of precision planning required for military operations to pull off the annual BU fall event known as Move-in. Streets have to be closed or made one-way. Police need to keep traffic moving to prevent gridlock. And hundreds of volunteers must be recruited to greet thousands of returning students and the newbies—freshmen and their families—and help with unloading.
This year, 11,461 students moved onto campus over seven days—a bigger crowd than anticipated. Normal capacity is 11,350 students, says Marc Robillard, executive director of housing and dining. But with this year’s freshman class (at about 3,900) numbering 200 more than anticipated, BU residence halls are at maximum capacity, and about 50 students are staying at the Holiday Inn in Brookline.
The great migration began on Monday, August 25, with the arrival of 1,531 students, among them athletes, band members, and the 900 freshmen taking part in the First-Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP), the service program that places volunteers to work with nonprofits across the city. Once again, this year Wednesday proved the busiest day of the week, with 2,569 students returning. Thursday and Friday saw lighter traffic (about 1,000 each day), but on Saturday 1,955 students arrived, and another 1,690 checked in on Sunday.
The fact that the Red Sox were playing away over Labor Day weekend helped to keep congestion in Kenmore Square bearable, although plenty of people turned out for the Saturday evening Tom Petty concert at Fenway Park, which brought traffic to a temporary crawl.
But more than anything, the perfect weather—sunny days that felt more like fall than summer—made for a comfortable Move-in. “Beautiful weather is the key,” Robillard says, adding “I take full credit for that.”
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