REGINA - For new University of Regina students, Friday was time to move in.
It was Student Move-in Day at the university. Close to 500 first year U of R students were moving into campus housing that day. On hand to help them were numerous volunteers including faculty members, staff, and students who helped fill carts full of belongings and moved them to their new living quarters.
The students were moving into various buildings on campus, the main building being Kisik Towers.
Bryan Wilson, Manager of Housing Services for the university, said when families get to the university Friday to drop the students off, they will be greeted by staff in the parking lot and are helped every step of the way.
“They get their keys in the lot, we get them to come up to the building, we have volunteers — student and staff volunteers — that will help them unload their vehicle, take them right into their room, help them unload their items. And then later on in the day we have a housing orientation for all the students, an orientation for all the parents and supporters, and then we end the day with a family barbeque and some events and social events for the students as well.”
While Friday is the main move in day, students have been returning on a gradual basis. Wilson says generally returning students will move in on the long weekend with classes due to begin Sept. 4.
In total about 1,100 students are expected to live on campus, with many more living outside campus in the city mostly in rental accommodations or living at home. The exact number won’t be settled for a number of weeks as they also have international students trying to settle their visa situation before they arrive. There are also a few spaces still available for those still looking and they can apply through their housing services website.
There have been stories about a tighter market for students trying to find accommodations in general. Wilson says what they have seen since COVID-19 is their numbers gradually increase on campus.
“We are seeing those numbers start to come back,” said Wilson. “We are seeing an increase in students living on campus, which is great. We’re up about 10 per cent from last year and we expect that number, we expect to continue growing next year as well.”
Wilson says there is an advantage for students to live and learn on campus particularly in accessing support. He said they provide a program called U R Priority to connect first years to support such as academic advising, student wellness and career guidance.
Wilson acknowledges it is a major effort to welcome and move in the new students each year, with the main planning happening throughout the summer. About 200 volunteers are on hand to help the students move in.
“Preparation for move in kind of starts as soon as this year ends,” said Wilson. “So for next year we’ll be doing a brief briefing of this year’s event to make sure we talk about kind of what went well and what we need to improve.”
