The Theophilus Tower Lawn turned into the epicenter of campus activity Thursday as hundreds of University of Idaho students moved into residence halls.
Students shuffled in and out of dorms, parents said goodbyes and upper administrators made small talk with students.
Students carried guitar cases, long boards and luggage, while some parents felt the bittersweet emotion of leaving their children to face the next chapter in their lives.
According to UI President Chuck Staben, about 900 students had checked in before 10 a.m. Thursday morning, with hundreds more expected to move in throughout the day.
Road trip
The road to UI came with a family vacation for Noah Kubowitsch. He and his family took a road trip from Lemont, Illinois, to drop him off, stopping in Yellowstone along the way.
Noah Kubowitsch said he chose UI because of the opportunity to play on the school”s lacrosse team. The university also offered a specific major he is interested in – agricultural engineering.
On a previous visit to campus, his father Mark said they had a great experience on and even got to meet UI President Staben at an event.
Mark Kubowitsch said they made an instant connection talking with the president as Staben grew up in Illinois.
“It was neat,” Noah said of meeting the president.
Noah, who has been playing lacrosse since the 6th grade, said he looks forward to playing at UI and is excited to start his college experience.
Waiting
For those wanting to use the elevator in The Tower, move-in day can be a waiting game.
“You can”t be in a hurry,” said Diane Morris as she and her son Ethan stood in line outside The Tower waiting for the elevator. The line stretched out the door with orientation leaders inside directing student movement.
“There is nothing fast about it – that”s OK,” Diane Morris said of move-in day.
Ethan Morris, interested in pursuing environmental science, said he chose UI because of the strong science program and is interested in getting involved outside of the campus.
“I”m still looking to see what I want to do,” Morris said of his plans for non-academic activities on campus.
Claire Whitley | Argonaut
Families wait in line for the elevator in the Theophilus Tower during Residence Hall Move-in Thursday.
Long queues
Moving into residence halls is a daunting experience, but moving into a residence hall in a different country is entirely different.
Beth Quayle, an Ella Olesen scholar from Bangor University in Wales, moved into the Scholars LLC Thursday. She came up to the car after checking in for several minutes.
“It was a really long queue,” she said with some exasperation.
She is on scholarship for the entire year and plans to take several “sport” classes.
Quayle said she is excited to be at UI and hopes to spend time in America travelling.
“Oh yes, I want to travel,” Quayle said. “This is all kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Everything is massive
Cathy Breed, another 2015 recipient of the Ella Olesen scholarship, aided Quayle in her move in. Breed said all of the stuff they moved in was stuff donated from previous recipients of the scholarship.
Breed said one of the hardest things about moving to Idaho was the time difference.
“It”s hard to text people back home when it is like 3 a.m. over there,” she said.
She also said everything here is massive. With the colleges spread, she estimated that her previous university was not more than half the size of UI”s campus.
“Even the fridge is massive,” she said gesturing toward the common room refrigerator.
A new place
With two suitcases and a backpack, 20-year-old Ahmad Alzlfawi waited in the line for the elevator outside The Tower.
The mechanical engineering student from Saudi Arabia has been in the U.S. for about a year, but hardly knew anybody in Moscow.
While he didn”t have any friends in Moscow as of Thursday morning, Alzlfawi said he is confident he will make friends soon with the many international students at UI.
As for his academics, he said he is interested to see the teaching styles used in American college classes.
Helping out
While move-in might mean some waiting for students, Katie Taylor, a UI doctoral candidate from Britain, said it”s a busy day for those volunteering to make it all possible.
“It”s pretty crazy getting everybody to the right places,” said Taylor, who volunteers with the International Program Office.
Taylor and Katie Shine, another doctoral student from Britain, spent Wednesday volunteering during the international student orientation and helped out during move-in Thursday, leading tours on campus and putting on social events.
“They have a surprising amount of stuff,” Shine said.
Ryan Tarinelli and Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected]