A Guide to Move-In Week
Important transportation, parking, and shuttle bus information
With one of the largest freshman classes in recent memory—close to 3,900—moving onto campus this week, one might expect complete gridlock. But the details for Move-in week have been precisely planned, and delays shouldn’t be significant, says Marc Robillard, executive director of housing and dining, who expects the rerouting of traffic and street closures to be minimal.
Move-in officially begins Monday, August 25, when an estimated 1,700 students are expected to arrive, including the 900 freshmen participating in the First-Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP), a program in which students arrive early to perform community service at sites across the Boston area. Some of this year’s estimated 500 transfer students will also begin arriving Monday, along with band students and athletes who need to be on hand for preseason practice.
Robillard says Wednesday, August 27, is expected to be the busiest day of Move-in week, with as many as 2,700 students arriving on campus. It also happens to be the first day of the final freshman orientation session, which is attended by international students and students from far-flung states like California and Oregon. Scarlet Squad members, the red-shirted upperclassmen who assist first-year students during Move-in, are also scheduled to arrive Wednesday, and will work on Saturday and Sunday. During the week, check-in is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There will be a lull in moves on Thursday and Friday, and then traffic will spike again on Saturday, when the remaining freshmen arrive ahead of Sunday’s Matriculation ceremony, taking place in Agganis Arena at 2 p.m. Other returning students will move in on Sunday and Labor Day, Monday, September 1.
New students can move in on Saturday, August 30, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, August 31, from 9 a.m. to noon. Continuing students can move in Sunday from noon to 5:30 p.m. and on Monday, September 1, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Resident assistants will check students in, parking lot attendants will help to direct traffic, and Scarlet Squad volunteers will assist families moving luggage from their cars to dorms.
This year, there will be a special Move-in weekend shuttle running up and down Commonwealth Avenue on Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shuttle will stop at 13 locations between Kenmore Square and Agganis Arena. This is in addition to the regular BU Shuttle (BUS) that travels between the Charles River and Medical Campuses.
Anyone planning to use the Mass Pike (I-90) should note that the far left lanes in both eastbound and westbound directions will be closed from west of the Prudential tunnel to the Commonwealth Avenue bridge as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is repairing the median and bridge substructure. Three lanes on each side will remain open during peak hours, but some traffic congestion is expected, so it is recommended to steer clear of the Pike during rush hour, before 10 a.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m.
The Storrow Drive eastbound off-ramp to Kenmore Square will be closed for concrete repairs from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
During Move-in week, the Boston University Police Department will reroute traffic at specific spots across campus, and officers will be on hand to direct drivers during the following changes:
Bay State Road
Wednesday, August 27, through Sunday, August 31, Bay State Road will be closed to through traffic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Only residents, delivery trucks, and students moving into BU will be allowed access.
700 Commonwealth Avenue (Warren Towers)
On Monday, August 25, and from Wednesday, August 27, through Sunday, August 31, there will be no unloading of vehicles in front of Warren Towers. Access will be through the Warren Towers garage.
South Campus
On Monday, August 25, and from Wednesday, August 27, through Sunday, August 31, Buswell Street will be converted to a one-way street going west from Park Drive to St. Mary’s Street, and going east from Park Drive to Mountfort Street, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
BU Bridge
On Sunday, August 31, the BU Bridge will be closed for approximately 30 minutes, from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m., as thousands of freshmen join Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore (SED’87) in the annual procession along Commonwealth Avenue from East Campus to the Agganis Arena, for Matriculation.
Harry Agganis Way/Buick Street
On Monday, August 25, and from Wednesday, August 27, through Sunday, August 31, Student Village residents moving into 10 Buick St. or 33 Harry Agganis Way will be directed to park in the Agganis Arena garage.
On Sunday, August 31, Harry Agganis Way will be closed from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for Matriculation. Buick Street may be closed for a short period, from 1:30 to 2 p.m.
The Agganis Arena lot (the lower outdoor service lot) will be closed to faculty and staff parking permit holders Monday, August 25, through Sunday, August 31.
Babcock Street
On Monday, August 25, and from Wednesday, August 27, through Sunday, August 31, West Campus students moving into Claflin, Sleeper, and Rich Halls will be directed to park in the Babcock Street garage. Students moving into 1019 Commonwealth Ave. can park in the garage or in metered spaces.
The Babcock Street garage and lot are closed to faculty and staff parking permit holders Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31.
Off Campus: Gardner Street/Ashford Street/Pratt Street
From August 30 to September 1, Gardner, Ashford, and Pratt Streets will become one-way streets heading east from Linden Street to Malvern Street.
Robillard says that returning students will notice plenty of physical changes to campus. Over the summer, Facilities Management & Planning has updated kitchens and bathrooms in South Campus, made repairs to the exterior of Myles Hall, and renovated the laundry room in The Towers. BU Today will feature a story on these and other campus summer construction projects in early September.
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