Move-in 2018 Has Arrived
Your guide to parking restrictions, navigating street closures, and best times to arrive
BU’s annual migration known as Move-in week has begun. Nearly 12,000 students will arrive on campus between Monday, August 27, and Labor Day, September 3, marking the start of the new academic year.
And although University officials expect a smooth transition, Marc Robillard, assistant vice president for Auxiliary Services, says that students and their families may want to try and avoid the known peak congestion times.
For example, the Warren Towers parking garage will probably be full by early afternoon on Saturday, September 1. And there may be wait times for those looking to unload their cars on Saturday afternoon along Babcock Street, near Claflin, Rich, and Sleeper Halls. Also good to know: the busiest day of Move-in week is not Saturday, as one might expect, but Wednesday, August 29, when more than 3,000 students are expected to arrive for early move-in, according to Robillard.
“Patience is important,” he advises. “Even though this is very well organized, with plenty of parking and people to help, it’s still a lot of people coming into areas that are constrained. So don’t be too anxious.”
This year will also feature a first: 445 students, 315 undergraduates and 130 graduate students, will be moving into the new Fenway Campus, along the Riverway and Pilgrim Road (the former Wheelock College campus).
Helping matters considerably, says Robert Molloy, BU Police Department deputy chief, the Red Sox are out of town until Labor Day, so students and their families will not have to wrangle with baseball traffic. However, Fenway Park will be hosting a Pearl Jam concert Sunday at 6:30 pm, but Move-in should be over by then.
The first 1,500 students are expected to arrive Monday, August 27, Robillard says. Among that initial influx are freshmen and transfer students checking in for this year’s First-Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP), the Community Service Center program that brings new students to campus a week early to volunteer for community service projects across the city.
Early move-in follows on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday between 10 am and 4 pm. This includes those students moving into the Fenway Campus—with one major exception: Pilgrim Road will be closed on Friday, August 31, until 1 pm to accommodate nearby Simmons University’s student orientation. (See map at bottom.)
Freshman and new student move-in is Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 5:30 pm, and Monday from 10 am to 4 pm.
The BU Shuttle (the BUS) will provide service to the 12 regular weekday stops between the Charles River Campus and the Medical Campus during Move-in week. Additionally, a Fenway Campus shuttle will provide service between 85 Pilgrim Road and 766 Commonwealth Avenue (directly across from the George Sherman Union).
During Move-in weekend, the Saturday daytime BU Shuttle will travel between the Charles River Campus and the Medical Campus. On the Charles River Campus, additional shuttles will run on Saturday and Sunday, stopping at 13 signed locations between Kenmore Square and Agganis Arena, from 9 am to 7 pm. (See map below.)
The annual Matriculation ceremony—the official welcome for the 3,600 members of the Class of 2022—is at 2 pm on Sunday, September 2, at Agganis Arena, preceded by a procession along Comm Ave by freshmen. The procession kicks off at 12:30 pm from students’ residence halls.
During Move-in week, the BU Police will reroute traffic at specific spots across campus, and officers, as well as State Police, will be on hand to direct drivers during the following changes:
Bay State Road (Beacon Street to Granby Street)
From Wednesday, August 29, through Monday, September 3, Bay State Road will be closed to through traffic from 8 am to 6 pm. Only residents, delivery trucks, and students moving in to BU will be allowed access.
700 Commonwealth Avenue (Warren Towers)
To keep the bicycle lane open, no vehicles are allowed to unload in front of Warren Towers. Access will be through the Warren Towers garage only, which is accessible off of Hinsdale Street. There will be limited parking for faculty and staff parking permit holders from Monday, August 27, through Sunday, September 2.
South Campus
On August 27, and from Wednesday, August 29, through Monday, September 3, from 8 am to 6 pm, Buswell Street will be converted to one-way, going west from Park Drive to St. Mary’s Street, and going east from Park Drive to Mountfort Street.
BU Bridge and University Road
On Sunday, September 2, the BU Bridge and University Road will be closed for a period of time between 1 and 2 pm to accommodate the thousands of freshmen proceeding from East Campus to Agganis Arena for Matriculation.
Harry Agganis Way and Buick Street
From Saturday, September 1, through Monday, September 3, Student Village residents moving into 33 Harry Agganis Way or 10 Buick Street will be directed to park in the Agganis Arena garage.
On Sunday, September 2, Harry Agganis Way and Buick Street will be closed from 1 to 3:30 pm for Matriculation. There will be no vehicle access for students moving into 33 Harry Agganis Way and 10 Buick Street during that time.
The Agganis Arena C-2 lot (the lower outdoor service lot) will be closed to faculty and staff parking permit holders from Monday, August 27, through Sunday, September 2.
Babcock Street
On Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, September 2, West Campus students moving into Claflin, Sleeper, and Rich Halls will be directed to park in the Langsam Garage and outer lot; the garage entrance is on Gardner Street. Students moving into 1019 Commonwealth Avenue can park in the garage or in metered spaces.
The Langsam Garage and outer lot will have limited spaces for faculty and staff parking permit holders from Monday, August 27, through Sunday, September 2.
Fenway Campus
BU’s Fenway Campus provides early move-in for undergraduate students moving into Pilgrim House (37 Pilgrim Road), Riverway House (162 Riverway), and the Campus Center and Student Residence (150 Riverway) on Wednesday, August 29, and Thursday, August 30, from 10 am to 4 pm, and on Friday, August 31, from 1 to 4 pm. Note: Pilgrim Road will be closed and inaccessible on Friday from 9 am to 1 pm to accommodate Simmons University’s student orientation.
Move-in will continue on Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, September 2, from 9 am to 5:30 pm. Graduate students will be moving into Peabody Hall (210 Riverway) during the last two weeks of August.
Have a question about Move-in week? Leave it in the Comment section below and we’ll try to answer it quickly.
Find information about city parking and traffic restrictions during Move-in here.
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