Pictured above: (Left to right) Biomedical sciences and psychology senior Vincent Shoenberger, geospatial engineering junior Andrew Picklesimer, biomedical sciences senior Scott Hanesworth and marine biology senior James (Jimmy) Erickson carry dorm furniture into the Pelican Apartments.
Molly Ryan | The Crow’s Nest
By Molly Ryan
Students carrying full length mirrors and parents holding five Target bags with a single hand, it could only mean one thing – it’s move-in season at the USF St. Petersburg campus.
From Aug. 18 to 20, on-campus residents scattered the campus between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. moving into the dorms and getting acquainted with their new home-away-from-home.
“I’ve always looked forward to move-in day,” Emerson Taylor, a sophomore mass communications major, said. “This is my second year back at the dorms and it’s a lot busier than last year with vaccines rolling out and people feeling safer to live in closer quarters.”
On all three move-in days, COVID-19 health and safety protocols were taken by Housing and Residential Education (HRE), volunteering members of Student Life and Engagement, and many incoming residential students.
Medical check-in tables set up by Student Health Services entailed a health evaluation to be filled out by all incoming residents, temperature checks and vaccine verification.
“We had 3 days of move-in in order to space people out and allow for a better move in experience,” Susan Kimbrough, director of HRE at St. Petersburg, said. “It seems to have gone really well, and we’ve checked in 726 students so far.”
With almost 800 students who applied for on-campus housing, this year indicates the largest residency influx in USF St. Petersburg campus history.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” Dwayne Isaacs, director of Student Life and Engagement, said. “It can seem like an overwhelming process.”
However, according to Isaacs, move-in “could not have gone any smoother.”
Many residents, such as sophomore social psychology major J.D. Dato, look forward to the advantages of living on-campus.
“On-campus living means that you are never too far from research, activities, and the library,” Dato said. “I am looking forward to an urban dynamic lifestyle that can only be found in the heart of a city like St. Petersburg.”
However, rising numbers in COVID-19 cases have also made students like Dato skeptical of unsteadiness in the coming academic year.
“Living in the dorms might be frustrating because of the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases,” Dato said. “At any time, students might have to isolate or enter quarantine, which makes maintaining a schedule difficult.”
While dorm life and culture are still sensitive to COVID-19, students can look forward to an expanded array of on-campus classes, activities and organizations for the time being.
