printable versionStanford abuzz with proud parents, students moving in
BY MICHAEL PENA
President John Hennessy and student staff from Florence Moore Hall welcome incoming freshmen with much fanfare during the kickoff of New Student Orientation on Monday morning.
The last hurrah of summer for hundreds of freshmen came early Monday morning in front of Branner Hall as their giddy resident assistants screamed the incoming students’ names over loudspeakers that blared the pop song “Say My Name.”
The festive but familiar scenes of New Student Orientation repeated themselves throughout campus, as student helpers and staff greeted 1,650 freshmen and 78 transfer students. As usual, resident assistants had memorized freshmen’s faces before the frosh arrived.
Students and their families were lined up in front of the dorms well before 8 a.m. on Monday, with lamps and linens in tow. A full 40 percent of incoming students came from California, but the rest represented every state except North Dakota. Eight percent came from another country, and for the second consecutive year, the incoming class was more than 50 percent students of color, according to Stephanie Mika, senior coordinator of new undergraduate housing.
President John Hennessy stopped by some of the dorms to personally greet the students and their families. Joining him were Gene Awakuni, vice provost for student affairs; Greg Boardman, associate vice provost and dean of students; Lorraine Sterritt, assistant vice provost and director of undergraduate advising programs; and Alan Acosta, associate vice president for public affairs and director of university communications.
Moving down the lines, Hennessy shook hands and asked families where they were from. Repeatedly, he dropped the presidential pretense and introduced himself simply by saying, “Hi, I’m John.”
Parent Kevin Case pushed a dolly with boxes stacked almost to head level, while his 18-year-old daughter, Siobhan, took in all the excitement. Her mother, Mary, said she’d even packed postage stamps so Siobhan would write home often—although mom conceded that instant messaging might replace snail mail.
“I’m just looking forward to meeting all sorts of new people,” said Siobhan, who came down from Seattle on Saturday. “Just knowing that it’s a really great school, and it’s not as rainy.”
As parents unloaded SUVs, orientation volunteers wearing specially printed T-shirts that said, “I’m here to help” and “Can I carry that for you?” lent a hand.
“I’ve been up since 6 a.m.,” said sophomore Cristina Richieri, who had already helped three families move in. “I’m assigned to the dollies.”
Elizabeth Hiyama, associate director of residential education, has worked at Stanford for almost 30 years. But the smile on her face as she watched Monday morning’s activities suggested that move-in day never gets old.
“It is like a new beginning. Look at all these parents—they’re smiling,” Hiyama said. “It’s just exciting because people are jazzed.”
Orientation for some 2,500 parents also takes place today, with convocation beginning at 4:15 p.m. in the Main Quad.