Freshman Move-In Day to be Aug. 20
This article features an event that occurred in the past.
Western Carolina University’s Blue Ridge Hall opens this fall to its first 376 residents.
A wave of students will join the early arrivals settling in to Western Carolina University’s newest residence hall on Friday, Aug. 20, when most of the approximately 1,450 freshmen living on campus hit town.
Blue Ridge Hall, the second of a pair of residence halls built as part of a $50 million construction project, will become home to its first 376 residents this fall.
“This new space is a great addition to our campus,” said Sam Miller, vice chancellor for student affairs. The new residence hall features state-of-the-art conference center space and connects to adjacent Balsam Hall by an arch that offers students a study area overlooking the Alumni Tower and lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center.
Balsam Hall, which opened last fall to about 425 students, and Blue Ridge Hall were developed as part of a plan to create a more pedestrian-friendly academic quad around the Alumni Tower. Also bordering the quad is the University Center; the Campus Recreation Center, which opened in fall 2008; and Courtyard Dining Hall, which opened last fall. Construction is now under way on the quad’s outdoor elements, which include additional landscaping, walkways and a fountain.
Seeing the core buildings for the academic quad almost complete is the realization of a vision developed years ago to benefit students for generations to come, said Keith Corzine, director of residential living. “This changes the face of our campus forever,” said Corzine.
As students arrive throughout the day for Freshman Move-In Day on Friday, traffic patterns on and near campus will be temporarily modified to accommodate at least 2,500 additional vehicles.
“Because parents often accompany students, we can expect at least two vehicles per student during the move-in period,” said Earnest R. Hudson Jr., director of WCU police and traffic services.
Traffic on campus roads such as University Way, which is located between the H.F. Robinson Administration Building and the Fine and Performing Arts Center, will be one-way. In addition, some residence hall parking lots and the Jordan-Phillips Fieldhouse lot drive will be closed on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 19, in preparation.
Hudson expects congestion not only at residence halls but also throughout campus as students move around to meet with advisers, obtain books and supplies, and attend Freshman Convocation at 5 p.m. Friday in Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
“Move-in weekend is an emotional time for new students and their parents,” said Hudson. “Patience during this period is appreciated.”
Upperclassmen will begin moving in on Saturday, Aug. 21. Classes at WCU begin on Monday, Aug. 23.
A full list of “Week of Welcome” activities is posted online at wow.wcu.edu. Events include presentations by Chad Crittenden, a contestant who came to “Survivor: Vanuatu: Islands of Fire” as a cancer survivor whose leg had been amputated, at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday; the Valley Ballyhoo festival at 4:30 p.m. Saturday; and “Who’s Bad, The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band” concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26.
For more information and a link to a map showing move-in day traffic patterns, visit housing.wcu.edu online.
