VCU welcomes the Class of 2010

Take a deep breaths and relax. VCU’s Move-In 2006 has come to a complete stop. Well, at least deflated to a dull roar.

Over the weekend 3,550 freshmen with their families flooded the streets moving into on-campus housing facilities.

How did VCU pull it off so much smoother than previous years? And with so much style?

“Beginning on Friday, Aug. 18, and ending on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m., the total was 872 cups of joe,” said Jane Firer, assistant director for administration and the mastermind behind the move-in.

Firer began planning nine months ago.

Officials used a color-coded traffic-control system to maintain a steady flow. Families received parking passes to hang from their rearview mirrors designating which loading zones and long-term parking decks were reserved for them. Each family had 30 minutes to unload their children’s belongings, and then parking officials asked them to move their vehicles or face the wrath of the tow trucks on standby.

Greeters, the smiling faces in sunshine yellow shirts, waited on sidewalks as new cars pulled up to unload. About 70 greeters moved rugs, posters, refrigerators, coffee cups and Wal-Mart bags from vehicles from 7 a.m. until the last family left the loading zone.

Resident assistants, the hyper cheerleaders in aqua-blue shirts, had key distribution, elevator rotation and line management rocking and rolling. Residents signed in electronically with their social security number or last name, received a room and mailbox key and were welcomed to their new home. The RAs had a specialized cheer customized for Move-In, which Firer taught them. And no, it cannot be purchased on iTunes.

Security guards, in their apple-red shirts, blended to perfection their job as rule enforcers and instruction givers. Guards pointed to Wal-Marts, restaurants, 7-Elevens and VCU buildings as equally as they explained housing guidelines to hundreds of residents and parents throughout the day. Their “Swipe your card, show the guard” policy is essential to keeping residents safe, and they spent the day educating residents on this policy of entering the building as well as signing in friends.

And then there were the entertainers. The clown on stilts was not VCU’s next Nick George, but a hired entertainer booked to make the residents and parents smile. A former Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey performer, the clown performer was joined by two balloon artists, one magician – Jonathan Austin, whom Firer booked in advance – two DJs and two massage therapists.

In a way, the move-in was a festival. With the multiple colored shirts, the free food and the music, VCU brought its class of 2010 in with style.