Move-in weekend

My daughter starts at PSU in July, and over the past 9 months I'm seeing a part of the PSU machine I've not seen before. Lot's of info, all well organized in chunks, but it's hard to fit the pieces together. We need a mental aggreator/organizer for all the stuff an incoming freshman gets hit with.

I have learned a few things about us organizing a Hall Hauler effort.

Most of the help is needed in East, Pollock, and South.
Residence life provides t-shirts and meal coupons for the days people are helping.

We can get many more specifics in August of where to go and when. Help is desperately needed on Friday, August 24th and Saturday, August 25th from 8-2pm each day. If people can't help the whole time, earlier in the morning is better.

What we need at this point is someone who is enthusiastic about doing this and wants to plow the energy into helping to organize it.

An unrelated/related post:

The Computer Store has set up a sales location in East Halls over move-in for about the last 6-8 years. The weekend is always very busy, but it really energizes the staff to be around the incoming students. They are so full of curiosity and energy and it is really interesting to hear their questions (the questions have changed dramatically over the 8 years). The parents are exhausted from the drive, then the move and I know this would be very rewarding to help the families....and greatly appreciated on their end.

I'd like to be involved in this, as a hauler.

The MAC group is working out details of how we can have a presence for arrival weekend. Others in ITS are invited to join us in our efforts. We plan to be in multiple res hall locations. Let me know if you're interested.

Exclusive of the separate activities by MAC and by the Computer Store--or that already entailed by those who are a parent of an incoming student--if anyone else wants to join Chris and me in support of a general ITS-wide effort, please comment as per Kevin's request.

While the "Haul Hauler" web site states that "there is no group sign-up form this year, all students should sign-up individually on the sign-up page.", IF there are enough of us in ITS who comment, I'll see if there is a way to garner some ITS recognition and get names of those volunteering on to the overall roster. Identify the hours you are available in your "comment".

When I contacted SA about this a few months ago, here's a summary of what was said:

"... just email me how many people you think will
be able to help and if you have a specific area you would like to assist
in. Most of our help is needed in East, Pollock, and South.

We provide t-shirts and meal coupons for the days people are helping.

I can email you specifics in August of where to go and when. We really need help on Friday, August 24th and Saturday, August 25th from 8-2pm each day. If people can't help the whole time, earlier in the morning is better."

I can help get back to SA Steve once the comments come in. Thanks much for offering to be the collection point.

It has been awhile since I hauled tons of stuff into the dorms during my daughters PSU years. What a hectic and overwhelming time. I think this is a great idea to get involved and help make this transition easier for students and their parents as well. When this initial announcement came out I contact the MAC group, so I am already signed up with them for move-in weekend.

Please sign me up for the ITS Hall Hauler movement. Thank you.

This is the last call for volunteers to join Chris, Tom and me in carrying a part of the ITS banner for this. If you are interested, please call, post, or email to me the time you are available, and any preference for assignment area, by noon on Wednesday, Aug 22. Thanks.

Insofar as those of us on the ITS "hall hauler" crew (Tom Bayly, Chris Hubing, Jim Leous, David Beyerle, and me), I expect I speak for all in terms of having been quite taken with the enthusiasm of the incoming students and their families in being here. (We also were occasionally overwhelmed with just how much "stuff" they had to move in!)

I found it especially rewarding to encounter those (rare) students/families who had not yet been here for sports camps, summer sessions, or other prolonged visits. That seemed true even for the halls used primarily by freshmen (including Mifflin and Hartranft, where most of our overall time was spent). Overall, auxiliary services does an admirable job in efficiently getting everyone through the move-in process, with the key aspects of there being a parking space to unload, and availability of a cart, being big contributors to overall happiness.

I saw many with TV sets (from small flat screens to 32" CRT), printers, iPods and the like--and each and every student I helped had a (well cared-for...) laptop. Conversely, I did not see a single desktop computer through the half-day+ (and dozens of families) I helped. I do recall seeing one plastic desk phone.

Not surprisingly--but unlike my own student days--there also was a distinct lack of separate audio equipment of any bulk, but a lot more rugs, lofts and mirrors than I imagined. In cases where a roommate had already moved in, many were already set-up in terms of space for their computer, monitor, etc--and those few who were present gave a clean bill of health in terms of having gotten connected. They did unanimously bemoan the lack of air conditioning, though....

Overall, it was a good way to renew insight as to what life in the halls today is like, and of the students' and parents' perspectives.

In response to Steve's comments on desktops, from working at the computer store sales area for 2.5 days, we encountered all of 4 people with desktops. The rest were laptops. Lots of interest in wireless in the dorms, wither via an overall pennstate system or via wireless AP/Router from their room connections.