COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The Ohio State University campus just got a little bit busier, as pre-move-in day for incoming freshman is here.
Student volunteers, better known as OWLs (Ohio State Welcome Leaders), were on hand to help new students move in to their dorms.
These new students unloaded their parents’ cars and settled in to what will be home for the next 8 months.
Abbey Novak is one of many incoming freshman saying goodbye to their parents today. Novak’s family made the ride down from Cleveland.
“It’s exciting and it’s a fun adventure,” said Novak. “It’s like organized chaos, it’s really cool.”
Following family tradition, Novak will become a volunteer OWL, helping other incoming freshman move-in.
“I thought it would be really fun cheering people on as they move in. And I have two older-sisters, I saw them do it, so it was just a good way to get involved,” said Novak.
OSU sophomore Kaycee Bethel is volunteering as an OWL for the second year in a row. Bethel says she struggles with anxiety, and student activities like this help her to get out of her comfort zone.
“The benefits are meeting new people really quick in your groups,” she said. “This is a big school so it is great to find ways to make it smaller.”
Preparing for student move-in day is a big undertaking.
“We literally start planning the next year’s move-in the day after this year’s move-in,” said Dave Isaacs, Communications and Media Relations Manager with the Office of Student Life at Ohio State. “It is a 365-day operation to get this all planned. To get this all orchestrated there are so many moving parts so when the students and their parents come, it all runs smoothly.”
This year OSU will welcome its largest incoming freshman class in several years, a class of 8,000 students. The official day for incoming freshman move-in is this Saturday.
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