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The start of the new school season is almost here and preparations are being made on the campus of Michigan Tech as the university welcomes a new group of Huskies to the Keweenaw.
As many families will be visiting the Houghton/Hancock area this weekend, hotels are booked and the reason is that it’s Move-in weekend at Michigan Tech. Parents come from all areas to see their high school graduates transition into college students and the staff at the university is ready for their arrival.
Senior resident assistant Daniel Rutkowski said, “We’re really getting fired up and ready to go for Move-in. We’re super excited. It’s great to get everyone here because once we get all the students here that’s really when the university comes alive.”
Rutkowski is one of many RAs who will be lending a hand to the newcomers this Saturday. He and others will be doing everything from carrying boxes of their belongings to the dorm rooms, to helping them find their way around.
Rutkowski listed some of the duties of an RA. “Helping them along, teaching them through our new residential curriculum, and just kind of helping them land on their feet, and get ready for the school year,” he said.
Senior resident assistant Melanie Thomas will be assisting the freshmen and their families. “Move-in is their first taste of what it feels like to be a Husky. It’s very much a welcoming environment,” said Thomas.
It was just a few years ago when she was new to campus. Thomas said. “My first year, I lived in the first-year learning experience community. Actually, I lived in Wadsworth Hall. It was a bunch of excitement. Everyone was so welcoming. Everyone just comes together for Move-in and it’s so great to see everyone come together and everyone welcoming all of the first years because they’re nervous.”
While many will be assisting those who have come here from downstate or neighboring states, another team will be on hand helping those who have come to the university from much further, as many newcomers will be crossing international boards to attend school here.
“We coordinate, along with International Programs and Services, the arrival of our international students. We have buses that our in Chicago that students can get on to come to Michigan Tech. They get here. It’s very early in the morning. They get off the buses and they go through an orientation program. We get them into their apartments or their houses. It’s a very welcoming environment and we’re as excited for them to be here as they are to be here,” said Assistant Director of Housing Courtney Archambeau.
Although Move-in is Saturday, students will have more than a week to roam campus and learn their way around as classes won’t begin until September 4th.
“It doesn’t take a long time to get acclimated to campus because everyone is so welcoming here. It just all falls in place and then they find their way around the school year. There’s always something to learn about Michigan Tech,” Thomas said.
