New Spiders settle into their rooms at University of Richmond
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Move-in day means hustling back and forth from the parking lot, meeting new roommates, and yes, some tearful moments.
Campus’s annual migration resumed last week as first-year students and their families appeared hauling suitcases, bins, and mini fridges to residence halls during move in.
First-year student Evan Vitiello wasn’t sure where to start in his Moore Hall room, crowded with family members and bags from home. When asked how things were going, Vitiello said, with a laugh, “Going good as far as I’ve been, which isn’t far.”
One decision he had yet to make: where to put his skis. He brought them after learning that his roommate also liked to hit the slopes. Meanwhile his roommate, Adam Lynch, was still in lugging-things-up-from-the-car mode.
The families met each other for the first time the night before at dinner. The Vitiellos are from Brick, New Jersey; the Lynches, from Baltimore.
Claire Hofer and her parents were the first ones in her room in Wood Hall. She hadn’t met her roommate yet, but she was set to arrive in about an hour.
“We’ve talked over social media, so we know each other a bit,” said Hofer, here from St. Louis.
When asked if she brought anything special from home, she smiled. “My baby blanket.”
Hofer is the youngest of three and the last to head off to college.
“We’re going to miss her a lot, but we’re super excited because she really wanted to come here,” her mom, Janine Hofer, said.
As the Hofers headed back to the car for another load, they met a family across the hall.
“You’re from St. Louis? We’re from Boston,” said the mom.
Before moving into their halls, students checked in at the Tyler Haynes Commons, where they could get their student IDs and meet a variety of campus representatives. Returning students with pompons cheered for them as they entered the space filled with large bouquets of red, white, and blue balloons.
Near the residence halls, students could use QR codes to pick up bins with a Spider logo, moving dollies, and giveaways. A mini tape measure proved popular with families.
“It’s been super, super smooth,” said Marin Nehro, of her move into Moore Hall. “I’m the oldest in my family, so I’m the first to go to college.”
Her mother, Diana Nehro, described the drive from Darien, Connecticut, the day before.
“I cried the majority of the seven hours yesterday, but today I'm feeling OK because I have a task,” she said, laughing, as she stretched a comforter over a bed. “I have things to focus on, but yeah, it's overwhelming. But I have to say, when she was getting her identification card, we walked around where all the different services had their tables set up. It was so welcoming. As a parent, that’s so nice to see.”
Pearson Renehan’s three-person room was busy as she and one of her roommates settled in. When she received her room assignment, Renehan was surprised to learn who had once lived next door: her father.
“Honestly, so crazy,” she said.
“I was the head resident of Marsh,” said John Renehan, who with his wife, Kristen, is a 2000 alum. “So, when she got assigned Marsh, I said, I know who lived in your room when I was here.”
Back then, the hall was all-male, with a dark decor and no air conditioning.
“It’s had a nice refresh,” John said.
The Renehans are from Farmington, Connecticut. Pearson is their first child to leave for college.
“I think we're doing great,” said Kristen. “I mean, it's all the mixed emotions that come with it, but it's very special that we are both alumni and that our daughter chose to come here on her own.
“It just feels like coming home.”