Freshmen move in on Union campus

PHOTOGRAPHER: Barry Sloan

Union College freshman Cameron Johnson of Berlin, CT, left, and Jonathan Stidd of Tully, NY, both football players, move a TV into their residence hall, Davidson, at Union College in Schenectady Saturday afternoon.

Jackie Salzillo, 18, of North Haven, Conn., climbed Saturday up the three flights of stairs of West College on the Union College campus, preparing to lay eyes on the room that would be her new home for the next nine months and meet for the first time the classmate with whom she would share that small space.

“I’m nervous, but I’m really, really excited,” Salzillo said.

Of course, meeting the roommate isn’t as awkward for students today. Salzillo said she was meeting her roommate, Ashley Resetarits of Syracuse, for the first time face to face, but they had already met on Facebook and had gotten to know each other online.

The two women met as if they were old friends, received a quick lesson on dorm life from one of the building’s residential assistants, Jamie Larsen, then set out to meet their floormates and see how other rooms were organized to afford maximum space and comfort.

Move-in day for the 582 members of Union College’s class of 2012 seemed to go off without a hitch, except for a blown transformer off campus that knocked out power to the entire Union College campus.

Upperclassman orientation leaders in bright yellow T-shirts helped the freshmen move their bedding, suitcases and crates into the dorm rooms, while residential assistants in bright orange checked in students and guided parents.

“Moving is always a stressful time in a person’s life,” said Molly MacElroy, director of residential life. “For some of the parents, this is their first time doing this, and so there are a lot of emotions involved, getting everything unpacked and organized and meeting the roommates, but I think everyone is happy.”

Union College’s class of 2012 is the biggest on record, with 582 students.

MacElroy said the college had to turn some of the student lounges into dorm rooms with three people to accommodate the extra students.

Also, students were asked to triple up in exchange for a break in the cost of housing.

This year’s freshman class is made up of 276 out-of-state students and 22 international students representing 12 different countries.

Christopher Kipp of Scarborough, Maine, is the third in his family to go to college.

Kipp also plays lacrosse and said Union’s lacrosse coach scouted him, but a visit to the college’s campus sealed the deal.

“The campus is so beautiful, and academically it was a good fit for me,” he said while picking up a welcome packet inside the Nott Memorial.

Kipp’s parents, Diana and Tim, said their experience moving in was typical of those of their other children.

“It’s been great; everyone is willing to help,” Tim Kipp said.

The morning power outage had little effect on the move-in process.

Kate Schurick, dean of first-year students, said the only activity affected by the power outage was that students were not able to get their photos taken for student identification cards.

Schurick said various activities were planned for the new class after 3 p.m., when parents left and the orientation leaders took over, including serenading college President Stephen Ainlay and his wife Judith with the college’s alma mater, “Ode to Old Union.”

Schurick said incoming freshmen received a CD of the song before arriving on campus Saturday, but for those who hadn’t already memorized the song, students were given a T-shirt in their welcome packets with the words printed upside down on the front and right side up on the back.

“If students forget the words, they can glance down at their own T-shirt or read the back of the person’s in front of them,” Schurick said.

“It’s a nice little tradition, and the students really enjoy it.”

The rest of Union’s on-campus students move in today. Classes start Tuesday.