Annual ‘We-Haul’ event part of Week
of Welcome activities
MURFREESBORO — MTSU freshman Deja Campbell appreciated the help
of the student volunteers and others Friday afternoon in getting her settled
into Corlew Hall on the east side of campus.
“They were nice,” said the nursing major from
Memphis, Tennessee. “They helped move (in) very quickly.”
Campbell, who admittedly “had a lot of stuff,” is
among the 2,000-plus MTSU students who began descending on campus Friday (Aug.
21) and will continue to through the weekend to move into campus residence
halls for the first time or are returning from their hometowns for a new
semester that begins Monday.
“I’m excited and nervous … I just don’t want to get
lost,” said Campbell, standing along the sidewalk outside Corlew with only a
few plastic bags filled with snacks such as Fruit Loops, bottled water and
other goodies left to take up to her room.
In what has become a tradition, these new MTSU
students found a host of volunteers — students, faculty, staff and community
members — scattered throughout campus ready to direct traffic, provide
information and help them carry boxes, furniture or whatever else needed
carrying as part of the “We-Haul” Week of Welcome event.
Coordinated by New Student and Family Programs with
assistance from the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, We-Haul is a
two-day volunteer effort to help students get moved into their dorms and
acclimated to campus.
In his 15th year leading the Blue Raider
campus, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee again exchanged the suit he wore a few
hours earlier to deliver his annual address to university faculty and staff for
a pair of shorts, loafers and a polo shirt to stop by some of the dorms to
greet news students and their families and lend a helping hand.
“It’s always a thrill for me to welcome a new group
of students to campus,” McPhee said. “I see a lot of bright smiles and minds
here, and each year it humbles me that these students and their families have
entrusted MTSU with their higher education journeys.”
On the go since 9 a.m. Friday, first-time volunteer
Sarah Larson, a junior music business major from New Jersey, was headed for a
water break after helping unload everything from microwaves to guitars while
assisting at Monohan, Cummings and Corlew halls.
“Everybody seems really appreciative of it,” said
Larson, who joined some of her sorority sisters from Zeta Tau Alpha in
volunteering. “It was good to get the reaction from people being so gracious
about it. … Getting to know the parents and hearing where all they’ve come
from, it’s been really nice.”
We-Haul continues Saturday. To see the complete
list of Week of Welcome activities, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/nsfp/welcome.php.
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