Over 900 volunteers woke up early Friday morning to help incoming freshmen lug their belongings out of packed cars and into packed dorms. They handled boxes, shower caddies, shoe racks, full size refrigerators, large filing cabinets and even a pressure washer.
Anitra Ball led the operation this year with the help of Blair Berry and others from University Housing.
Appalachian Parent and Family Association assigned over 250 volunteers and University Housing assigned over 650 to aid this year’s move-in process.
Some were community members and neighbors of App State, helping for the sake of good-heartedness or good karma, but students and parents had a stronger incentive.
Every student who volunteers can avoid the crowds by moving in a day early. Every parent earns the same option for their kids.
“Volunteering was so worth it,” Rose Rossell, a junior biology major, said. “Moving in early was so much easier.”
Volunteers labored cheerfully despite the hot sun. “It’s a little warm outside,” Rachel Peterson, a student volunteer, said. “But last year it was pouring rain. So this is better.”
Peterson helped out in Hoey Hall, the dorm where she herself lived during the 2015-16 school year. She said helping new students move in was nostalgic, prompting fond recollections of the good times she had in Hoey.
Other volunteers had similar experiences. Ivy Wagner, a sophomore economics major, spent the morning in and out of Cannon Hall, the dorm she lived in her freshman year. “It was definitely a blast from the past,” Wagner said.
“We had a great time when we lived here last year,” Rossell, who volunteered at Cone Hall, the building she used to live in, said. “So it’s exciting to help move other people in. It couldn’t be better.”
Volunteers register online before arriving at one of a pair of tents either in front of East Hall or another in front of Kidd Brewer Stadium. From there they are sent to dorms most in need of help.
Everyone got T-shirts: Gold for parents and neon green for everyone else.
As soon as volunteers arrived at the unloading spot for each building they helped families unpack their cars and made sure all items were labeled with the name and room number of its owner and took everything up to the correct room.
“It’s going as smoothly as it can,” Kirston Greene, a sophomore journalism major, said.
Emily Myers, a freshman, said the volunteers were extremely helpful and the process was well-structured
“They made it so much less stressful for me and my family. And made it easier for us to get settled,” Myers said. “After getting the stuff to my room they quickly moved the bed and furniture to how I wanted it set up.”
Freshman Sarah Garner also appreciated the extra hands during the fast-paced day.
“They were really helpful. My stuff got up to my room so quickly,” Garner said.
While volunteers did the dirty work, incoming freshmen and their families could focus on more important things, like deciding which wall to hang the mandala tapestry on.
Story by Carrie Hall