Of the 713 students in the class of 2009, about 650 moved into their dorms on Monday. The first minivans and station wagons pulled onto Church Street before 9 a.m. packed with bedding, clothes, and computers. After registering in the Science Center, students took their belongings to their new homes.

“I thought today was going to be hectic, but I lucked out and my room is close to the stairs,” said Paul Gerdes ’09. “It’s been easy because there are so many people helping out. It’s a nice welcoming touch.”

“I’m very impressed. Everything has been very efficient and the traffic flow has been handled well,” said Paul’s dad, Steve Gerdes P ’09. Both traveled to Wesleyan from Omaha, Nebraska.

Many freshman students were eager to finish unpacking and make new friends.

“I’m excited to meet the people who I will live with for the next four years,” said Grace Petersen ’09. “I came to Wesleyan because of the overall feel when I visited campus. When I visited other schools, I kept comparing them to Wesleyan.”

“Everyone has been really friendly and I’m excited about learning and meeting new people,” said Jeremy Hudson ’09. “I’m also looking forward to our field trips at the end of the week. I’m going on the bike riding trip.”

With the completion of the Fauver Dorms, traffic was slightly more congested on Foss Hill. Orientation Interns had to plan the day with the new dorms and new University Center construction in mind. As a result of the construction, the picnic lunch, typically held on Andrus Field, was moved to outside the Campus Center, but everything ran smoothly despite all the changes.

“The students have been doing a good job, and everything’s been quiet,” said Public Safety Officer Lieutenant Verrillo. “This year all of the departments came together to help out and everything has been going well.”

International Students arrived on campus on August 24. Since then, they participated in several days of International Student Orientation (ISO). They were already settled in when the rest of the freshman class arrived on Monday.

“It was really great to come early and [it] made adjusting to American life easier by meeting a small group of friends first,” said Alexis Brian ’09 of the Philippines.

“I thought ISO was good,” said Seo Yung Park ’09 of South Korea. “I got to know many people well. The talent show yesterday was one of my favorite events. Everyone introduced their own culture and wore their own costumes.”

Since last May, five Orientation Interns planned for move-in day. They spent the summer in Middletown planning a week of programs to familiarize new students with the University.

“Move-in day isn’t something that suddenly happens—there’s a lot of planning and preparation that goes on behind the scenes,” said Orientation Intern Jeff Kessner ’07. “The Orientation Leaders are really critical in having everything run smoothly. With so many people out there in Wesleyan shirts, it’s visible that we’re here to provide info and give directions. All of this help is what ultimately makes the day run as well as it does.”

According to Kessner, there were 58 Orientation Leaders (OLs) and 40 volunteers who assisted the freshman class and their families. Many volunteers wore printed WesHaul t-shirts and could be spotted carrying heavy boxes throughout the day.

“I volunteered to help the freshmen move in,” said Dan Steif ’07. “I’m on campus early because I play football. Everything’s been going really smoothly, and much calmer than when I moved in. People drive up, and we take their stuff right out of the car and they drive down to park.” Steif was one of about 20 athletes that returned to campus in conjunction with Athletes Building Community (ABC).

Approximately 50 Residential Advisors (RAs) also waited outside the dorms to meet their new residents and welcome them to the Wesleyan community.

“I’m excited to make sure everyone has a chance to have a great freshman year,” said Nicolson 5.5 RA Felicia Appenteng ’07. “The events I’m looking forward to the most during orientation week are Unspeakable Acts and the film screening. I’m going to check out who the guest speaker will be.”

“The thing I’m most excited about is going to college and living away from home,” said Mike Kuhn ’09. “I’m excited about being an adult.”