Thousands of freshmen arrived at UCSD on Saturday morning with their belongings stuffed into bags and boxes, ready to move into their new homes — the residence halls.
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By 9 a.m., cars were lined up from Warren college to the intersection of Voigt Drive and Gilman Drive.
Despite the long lines, there was plenty of help. Thirty resident advisors directed traffic and dispensed information to waiting families.
Most families welcomed the help.
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“”We have already had three people help us in 10 minutes,”” said David Kupec, a Warren freshman.
Others students found the move-in to go smoothly.
“”It seems to be moving pretty quickly even though there is a long line,”” said freshman Kelsey Senica.
Those who arrived earlier were treated to a shorter line.
“”I am glad we got here early,”” said Myron London, the father of a Warren freshman. “”It is the way everybody said it was going to be during orientation. When we got here, there was no question about what we were supposed to do. It has been working perfectly so far.””
Lindsay Fong, a freshman who moved in Saturday, said, “”It’s not as slow as I thought it would be.””
Her father, Gayela Fong, was also pleased.
“”We really appreciate all the volunteer help,”” he said.
Warren college students were allowed to move in early if they helped others move in for the rest of the weekend. Around 30 students took advantage of this and joined the Velvet Touch group.
“”I wanted to help out freshmen — I know how hard it is to move in,”” said student Bobby Sadsad. “”It’s also a great way to meet people.””
Older students sympathized with those moving in.
“”I know it’s a pretty big struggle when they are trying to move in,”” said student Edgar Melendrez. “”I’m a third year already and I just wanted to help out the freshmen.””
Volunteers said that lending a hand has its benefits, including moving in at their own leisurely pace before the weekend rush.
“”It works out well for everybody,”” said Aldrin Lumbreros, a Warren sophomore and Velvet Touch member.
Across campus at Revelle College, 24 student volunteers formed the Cardiac Squad to welcome 830 freshmen.
“”We have just been carrying stuff into rooms; it’s physical labor,”” said Revelle College Council Chair Mark Stickel. “”It’s cool, I like doing it.””
Ben Wang, a Revelle freshman, had a unique way of offering his moving services. He wore a sign on his T-shirt that read: “”Will help carry boxes for your acquaintance. My name is Ben.””
“”It’s a big school. I want to meet and help a lot of people,”” Wang said.
Nhat Le of the Revelle College Council described the morning move-in as quiet compared to other years.
“”Throughout orientation, we encouraged people not to move in during the morning, as to stagger move in,”” said Revelle Resident Dean Kevin Jones. “”We asked them to consider coming later in the day.””
Things went less smoothly at Muir college, as about 700 students moved into the residence halls. Many people were upset by the long lines and an apparent lack of help.
“”Clearly, they need more people in the key line,”” said parent Gene Harman as he helped his son move in.
“”Although the organization is great, I think they need more manpower,”” said incoming freshman Meghan Eckles.
Others had less of a problem.
“”I’m just trying to see if everything will fit in my room,”” said freshman Juan Pablo. “”They told me which lines to stand in.””
Ben Epperson, a Muir house advisor, explained why some students may have had different experience moving in.
“”I don’t think we are here for manual labor,”” Epperson said. “”If we are going to be helping them with our muscles, then we are going to be making a special exception to them, so it’s kind of hard to treat people equally when they have different stuff.””
Some parents felt that the recent events in Washington, D.C. and New York helped make move-in day run smoothly because people were in the mood to help one another.
“”I don’t know if it is because of the new patriotism, but I’ve got to tell you, it was not only refreshing and surprising but it was really appreciated,”” said parent Bob Worth. “”People just said, ‘Here, let me help you.'””
