BLACKSBURG, Va. – Kicking off the new school year, Virginia Tech welcomed thousands of students Saturday for move-in day.
Building muscle from hauling boxes and bins is a sign move-in day is here at Virginia Tech.
From Saturday until Tuesday, more than 6,880 new Hokies will get settled in their dorms. But with students signing up for 90-minute time slots, Daniel Klumpp, a freshman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said move-in day was not as stressful as she had anticipated it would be.
“It wasn’t that chaotic. It was pretty smooth,” Klumpp said. “There was a bunch of things to grab to put stuff on and got in really quick.”
With concerns of the coronavirus still lingering, 1,500 Hokie Helpers will help direct this week and sanitize the moving equipment.
Families did not need to wear masks outside like last year. But Cole Walton, a sophomore computer science major, said families strapped one on once they headed indoors.
[Virginia Tech to require masks indoors in designated areas starting Aug. 10]
“Personally, I wish by being fully vaccinated that it wasn’t that way, but I see the need for it,” Walton said.
Move-in day carries more meaning for some freshmen because of the coronavirus pandemic. Eliza Copeland, a freshman from Harrisonburg, said this is her first time ever stepping foot on campus.
“We didn’t really get to do college tours or anything,” Copeland said. “I mean, I’ve done some virtual tours, but I’ve never been here in person. It’s a lot bigger than I expected.”
Next week there will be a series of activities to welcome freshmen on campus, but sophomores like Walton will not be left out.
“We actually have special events just for them [sophomores], since we know they missed out on a little bit kind of last year,” Virginia Tech Director of Housing and Residence Life Sean Grube said.
Classes will start on Aug. 23.