Clark University - Clark News Fall 2002
Making the Big Day a Little Easier (fall 2002)
Alumni help new students move in and feel welcome
For students and their parents, moving to college for the first time is an emotional day filled with happiness and excitement, sadness and at least a little anxiety. Alumni do their part to ease the transition by returning to campus every year to help students move into the residence halls and welcome them to the Clark community. Early in the morning on Aug. 23 this year, alumni were once again greeting the next class of Clark students.
The Alumni Association's Student Outreach Committee began inviting alumni back to campus for the annual move-in day five years ago. According to David Roth '84, who chaired the committee at that time, alumni were looking for ways to connect with students early in their Clark years.
"We thought the first day was the best time to do that," said Roth, who has participated in the event every year and brings along his son Zach, to help. "We want to let the parents and students know that they're a part of Clark."
Jennifer Kilbane '97 has returned for move-in day every year since graduation. She enjoys the camaraderie of her fellow alumni and also remembers moving in for the first time, arriving at Clark from Los Angeles alone, without any help.
"I like the idea of making the day a little less stressful, making the transition a little easier," Kilbane said. "It's a big day for the students and the parents."
This was clear from the slightly lost look on students' faces as they worked alongside alumni and current students, unloading their cars onto the grass outside Wright and Bullock halls. Many parents also looked a little lost, the realization setting in that they would not bring their children home with them that day. Some parents planned to leave Worcester for a short vacation because, as one parent said, the thought of going home right away to an empty house was unbearable. Parents found the alumni assistance especially comforting.
"It's a traumatic day, so this was a great start," said Philip Nadeau of Louden, N.H., whose daughter Jessica is a first-year student. "This was wonderful. It was well-organized and everyone was very eager to help."
Donna Phipps of Woonsocket, R.I., said she has two daughters already in college, but moving her son Alexander to Clark was the easiest of the three. Having alumni on hand to help, she said, also eased her anxieties about sending her son off to college.
"I'm so happy that he's here. The people are so wonderful," she said.
For Larry Hershoff '71, immediate-past president of the Alumni Association, this is the real mission behind moving all those boxes and suitcases.
"It's the best way to welcome people to Clark and make them feel comfortable here," says Hershoff, who has participated in almost every move-in day. "It's an important date on my calendar because it's the first chance to keep our promise to the students and the parents that they are part of a special community."
|
