A record number of volunteers worked all day Thursday to help a record incoming freshman class move into their residence halls at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. More than 2,125 freshmen are registered for classes which represents a 9 percent increase over last year and an all-time high for the University.
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“The movers are great, and it’s very helpful because I’ve got a lot of stuff,” said freshman Luka Radovic, as he bent his 6-foot, 8-inch frame inside his family’s maroon Toyota Sienna. He spoke Serbian to his mother, Suzanna Cucuk, who then pushed her end of the rolled-up carpet towards him.
Radovic, of Quincy and originally from Serbia, was praising SIUE’s “Movers and Shakers”. The program began in 1996 and welcomes incoming freshmen to the University by providing smiles, information and muscle. Volunteers meet freshmen at their vehicles, help unload their belongings and move their items to their designated rooms.
Also wearing a burnt orange “Movers & Shakers” T-shirt, pulling boxes and items from vehicles of all sorts and loading them onto carts was Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe.
“It’s a perfect day to move-in,” said Furst-Bowe, who was at the Woodland residence hall. “Families have come to bring their loved ones to college, and the SIUE community is here working together to help them. I can’t believe how much stuff some people can fit into one vehicle.”
Freshmen moved all day long into the Bluff, Prairie and Woodland halls, according to Mallory Sidarous, specialist in University Housing.
“This year we have a total of 550 volunteers, which is a record number,” said Sidarous. “And well over half of them are repeat volunteers.”
“I used Movers and Shakers last year as a freshman,” said Karmien Wesley, a sophomore from Chicago. Wesley was on her way out of Prairie Hall to bring in more belongings of her classmates.
“I’m helping out, because it was so convenient and helpful for me last year,” Wesley said. “I was greeted with smiles, and all I had to do was bring in my purse. And I lived on the third floor of Woodland.”
“I thought it would be a much longer process,” said Talyr Nokes, a freshman from Quincy. “It’s a lot smoother than I thought. All that is left to do is go unpack and watch dad cry.”
However, Zach Nokes, father of Talyr, said Marines do not cry.
“She is a daddy’s girl, and this is the first one off to college,” Zach Nokes said. “But she’s well-prepared and a smart young lady. I know she’ll be fine and will do great at SIUE.”
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottom land and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.
Photos:
Freshman Emily Penick gets help from SIUE “Movers & Shakers.
Joe, an SIUE “Mover & Shaker” carries a load of clothes into Prairie Hall.
SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe welcomes freshman Deysi Nava of Hampshire.
A group of “Movers & Shaker” move students into Woodland Hall.