Students pack into dorms

Students pack into dorms

By Geoff Smith
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 21, 1996

Adam F. Jarrold
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Undeclared freshman Randall Blute unloads his packed trunk Sunday afternoon to begin the long trek from his parking spot to his third floor room in Coronado Residence Hall. The campus' 17 residence halls officially opened Sunday.

Swarms of students, parking lots full of U-Haul trailers and several carpet salesmen converged on campus last weekend as the UA's residence halls opened their doors in anticipation of the fall semester.
About 5,000 students have checked into their new homes since they opened Sunday, according to a spokeswoman at the Department of Residence Life.
As Moms and Dads stood in long lines to haul boxes and TVs up the stairwells and elevators of the campus' 17 residence halls, new roommates got a glance of each other for the first time.
Melinda Van Houton, an undeclared freshman and a new resident to Manzanita-Mohave Hall, avoided the lines and the crowds by taking advantage of an early check-in. For an extra fee, residents were allowed to move in Saturday .
"It ran very smoothly," she said. "I'm glad I spent the $20 to check in early."
Incoming students had mixed feelings about the new year on campus.
Business freshman Leigh Weisshaupt chose to live on campus because she was not ready for the hassles of having her own place.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and getting involved," she said, "but I will also miss all my old friends at home."
Erin Anderson, undeclared freshman, said the residence halls will make life easier.
"They are closer to everything,"she said. "There are more people around to meet and everything you need is within walking distance."
Scott Holdcraft, business freshman, said the residence halls offered a place to live with less to worry about.
"There are no bills to pay and if something gets broken, someone else fixes it," he said.
Carla Valdez, a pre-nursing freshman, summed up best what she wanted to get out of college.
"I'm ready to be on my own," she said, "and of course ... no more high school."
During the first week of school, the Residence Hall Association held block parties around campus to provide a place for incoming students to mix and mingle.
John Fox, hall director at Manzanita-Mohave, said the opening activities were an important part of starting the year off right.
"We want to make people feel welcome and build a strong community right from the start," Fox said.
Each residence hall also sponsored welcome activities for the new residents.
Yuma, Coronado and Manzanita-Mohave Halls held ice cream socials. Kaibab-Huachuca held its annual miniature golf tournament.