http://http://vimeo.com/14625835

On the minds of new UW freshmen

Jennifer Zettel and Charlie Gorichanaz crash some move-in parties to speak with some freshmen. University of Wisconsin junior BJ Chrisler and UW Police Department officer Shelly Thiel assist motorists entering the lakeshore dorm area, and freshmen Logan Golla, Sheng “Jason” Zhao, Fengjun “Alex” Sui, Collin Neitzel, Kelsey Cleland, Kathleen Keene, Kireeti Reddy, Dan Chadwick and Dylan Greff share their experiences and thoughts.

Filmed August 27, 2010, by Charlie Gorichanaz for The Badger Herald.

Papers, exams and roommates are all stressors for the average University of Wisconsin student, but for freshmen moving into residence halls, family, forgetting possessions and traffic added further stress to move-in day.

In general, move-in was the same as usual. Mike Kinderman, assistant director of UW Housing, said signs were posted to let people know where they should go for specific halls, hopefully easing some of the confusion.

Students said Badger Buddies and House Fellows were heroes on August 27-28, when the majority of students returned to residence halls.

A new resident of Elizabeth Waters Hall, UW Freshman Logan Golla said Badger Buddies helped bring all of his stuff into his room, taking only a few trips and making his move-in go smoothly.

For Kathleen Keene, also a UW freshman and resident of Liz Waters, her family caused more stress than anything else.

“Everybody wants to tell you how to [move in] and how to organize everything,” Keene said.

Stationed in the middle of Charter Street outside Liz Waters, UW Senior BJ Chrisler, UW Junior Matt Kleist and Officer Shelley Thiel of the UW Police Department worked from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. pointing parents in the right direction.

Chrisler said traffic irritated many people, but having Thiel with them helped keep the atmosphere calm.

“A lot of people have just been here a little too long, […] had to turn around a couple too many times and try to yell at us, but it’s nice having a police officer because once they see her they usually settle down,” he said.

Spreading the word about detours and new routes helped make move-in day more efficient, Thiel said.

UWPD is also doing its part by letting parking violations slide this weekend so families unfamiliar with the campus area are not penalized, Thiel said.

“We’re not going to issue citations,” Thiel said. “It’s hard enough to drop off a student that this is the first time they’ve been leaving home.”

With construction on Park Street between University Avenue and W. Johnson Street and also between Landon Street and University Avenue, UW Housing had to change past move-in routes, Kinderman said.

UW Housing still advised people to take University Avenue for the Lakeshore dormitories. But rather than take Park Street to University Avenue, students were told to take Dayton Street.

While getting to Lakeshore was a little trickier, Kinderman said the residence halls faced with the most difficulties were Chadbourne and Barnard Halls.

In front of Chadbourne traffic was one-way heading south, posing a severe obstacle to students beginning their residency in those dorms.

Housing’s solution was to have residents drive between Sterling and Chamberlin Halls on a service road, Kinderman said.

While traffic hindered some freshmen moving into Chadbourne, for others everything went smoothly.

“Because of the road construction many roads can’t permit cars to get in so it’s not very convenient,” said Sheng Zhao.

Collin Neitzel said routes were a little confusing as a result of construction, but once he got moved into his room, everything was fine.