Move-In Day on the UPEI campus a positive experience thanks to many
UPEI students living in residence received a warm welcome from UPEI staff and fellow students on Friday, August 30. To make move-in day go as smoothly as possible for everyone, many campus partners gave of their time and expertise to make the day a great experience for UPEI’s new and returning residence students.
“As we know, this day doesn’t happen without a lot of prep work,” said Kelton Thomason, Manager, Residence and Housing Operations, who oversees the Residence Life program. “It has been incredible to have support from everyone working hard across the UPEI campus. We are super proud of our campus partners and know that our work and move-in day couldn’t happen without them.”
Thomason thanks the following UPEI departments for their assistance and support:
- Office of Student Affairs
- Department of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Rights
- Facilities Management
- Security Services
- UPEI Health and Wellness Centre
- Marketing and Communications
- IT Systems and Services
- UPEI Student Union
- UPEI Panther student-athletes
- Ancillary Services
Residence Life Advisors (RLAs) are also a key group who help make the transition to living in residence a positive one. In the weeks leading up to move-in day and New Student Orientation (NSO) Week, RLAs, who are UPEI students in their senior years of study, participated in an orientation/training program to help them in their roles as peer-supporters, advisors, activity planners, administrators, and educators to maintain residence community standards. They work together with Residence Life staff and other campus community members to create an educational environment in residence that is conducive to both living and learning.
A key activity planned by RLAs for residence students during NSO week was the “Festival of Lounges” on August 30. During the evening event, RLAs set up a number of fun activities in different lounges and locations on campus to encourage new residence students to meet and interact with each other.
To make the transition to residence life a positive one, new students were also encouraged to go on a tour of campus, meet their “point people” and leaders, enjoy a “First Residence Supper” in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall, and take part in other NSO Week activities.
