The Buckeye magic of Move-In Day

Page content

The Buckeye magic of Move-In Day

August 20, 2018

Move-In Day means packed crates, trunks and luggage, as well as vehicles stuffed with emotion. Ohio State makes goodbyes easier for families by offering an arms-wide-open hello. We greet and serve parents and incoming students with a well-honed system of help from staff, alumni, and students. All come together in cohesive, energetic fashion. New Buckeyes discover more than a new home; they find a campus family.

Page content

We’re ready for you with a well-oiled plan to make moving in organized, efficient and, yes, enjoyable. Let Team Buckeye ease any tension.

Your campus arrival is big news in Columbus. Freshman Jingwen Deng tells how she traveled 11,000 miles from Beijing, China to be the first Ohio State student in line at 6 a.m., an hour before her check-in time.

Smiles await before you even unpack. Valencia Wicker, reporter for WBNS-10TV in Columbus, welcomes Deng with a 21st century tradition.

Ride a scarlet-and-gray wave of energy while beginning your move-in day journey at the Schottenstein Center, where the sound of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” plays on outside speakers.

Strangers find time to bond before being greeted inside by Schottenstein Center employee Darlene Griffin. “Good morning. Smile,” she says as families walk briskly past. “Party time for the parents, not the students.”

Plenty of coffee is available for early risers such as Melinda Swan, who left her Hinckley, Ohio home at 4:30 for the two-hour drive to drop off freshman daughter Ruby, left. “I’m really impressed with the organization of this move-in,” Melinda says. “It’s very welcoming.”

Saying goodbye to little brother Rishi isn’t easy for Shruti Gupta, a sophomore from Cleveland, but the family feels special once inside the Schottenstein Center. “When you enter the hall, everybody is cheering,” father Neel Gupta says. “You feel like a celebrity, all warm and fuzzy. It makes things easier.”

Buckeyes basketball coach Chris Holtmann offers a sweet hello to incoming students and families. “They’re probably a little anxious and nervous. Maybe it’ll help them if they see a smiling face,” he says. “And who doesn’t like donuts in the morning? Donuts can wipe away tears.”

Championship banners in the rafters aren’t as important on this day as the colorful signs pointing students to check-in tables for their assigned university housing.

Brutus makes certain everyone feels like a rock star on center stage as paths converge on the floor of the basketball arena.

Josh Ramirez, a sophomore from Cleveland, waits for his room assignment. “I’m very sad, but happy for him,” says his mother Kim Ramirez. “The day has been pretty smooth. They’ll know what they’re doing, and I think they’re trying to make it fun.”

A move-in scheduling system allows for students to sign up for a timeslot to arrive, and the wait is worth it when the line ends with the magical issuing of dorm room keys.

The day doesn’t feel like work for Avery Moody, an office assistant in university housing, as she hands out keys. “I’m having a great time,” says the second-year student from Cincinnati. “I love meeting all the new people and helping them move in. I love trying to make it as smooth as possible.”

Our choreographed campus-wide plan includes six traffic patterns, parking lots used as waiting zones, and plenty of volunteers to point you in the right direction.

Plenty of security keeps an eye on your belongings and helps you navigate through designated lanes to keep traffic flowing. “Everybody on campus knows to stay away at this time,” says Sgt. Rob Welday of the Columbus Police Department.

You won’t have to move anything alone. Second-year students Julia Spencer, red shorts, and Christine DelNano, far right, lead a parade of student helpers.

The day feels like a hoot as the Ohio State Welcome Leaders (OWLs), who volunteer to help on move-in day, gather outside every dormitory to cheer for each arriving family car.

Freshman Rosemary Mendez of Miami, Fla. is already comfortable at Ohio State from serving as an OWL. “This has been a nice way to meet people,” she says. “Coming from so far away, it’s a big adjustment. But as an OWL, I’ve bonded with roommates and people on my floor. I’ve already started to make friends.”

You’ll often find more OWLs than items to move.

The team work sets a warm tone for new students. “The cool thing about Ohio State is it’s one of the largest universities in the country, but it seems like a family here. You’d think it would be the opposite,” says Andrew Hussar, center, a freshman OWL from Canton.

The OWLs bring an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. “We like hyping everyone up for the new year,” says Dylan O’Neill, a freshman from New Philadelphia, Ohio. “The families are so amazed when they pull up. Every single person we see is wide-eyed.”

Three hands are better than one as Keith Johnson of Nelsonville, Ohio moves his son, sophomore Ben Johnson, into Smith-Steeb Hall.

All Buckeyes are glad to lend a hand as Ohio State President Michael V. Drake shows on a muggy morning.

President Drake is there to lift and load, not just to be seen by families.

A firm grip by President Drake shows how firm thy friendship on move-in day.

Brad Frost of Findlay, Ohio feels connected after moving his freshman daughter Megan into Smith-Steeb Hall. “Seeing (President Drake) was the best part,” Frost says. “It’s incredible. You feel comfortable, like the school appreciates your kid coming in. It’s very heart-warming.”

OWL coordinators, from left, Joelle Smith, Lexi Rollin and Savannah Sabo make certain the energy doesn’t flag as the day goes on.

Being a second-year student such as Smith, of Obetz, Ohio, means you know the power of a smile when lifting all items.

Nick Cimmarusti, also a second-year student, is glad to pay forward for incoming students.

No item is too big when Buckeyes work together such as OWL coordinator Timothy Hall, left, and Clint Daugherty of the Office of Student Life show.

Moving in is like moving home again for some students. Freshman Dan Guest is from Philadelphia, but was born in Ohio. “You can take the kid out of Ohio but you can’t take the Ohio out of the kid,” says his mother Colleen Guest.

Brooke Gist, a freshman from Chicago, knows what serving as an OWL means to all families on this emotional day. “This is a safety net type of thing,” she says. “It says, ‘I’m sending my child here and there are a lot of people who care.’ ”

The personal care is extended until the last bin is emptied.

Deb Miller of the Office of Student Life helps families find their way off campus after they’ve dropped off their students.

Families can take solace when they leave that their students are part of another family now, one that stretches campus wide.

Move-in day is when we all come together as one O-H-I-O family.

Welcome Buckeyes!

Share The Buckeye magic of Move-In Day

email